Artwork
Common orange day lily (hemerocallis fulva), xuan cao
Common orange day lily (hemerocallis fulva), xuan cao is a paint painting by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a rectangular watercolor bounded by a fine‑line frame.
About this work
Overview
The work is a rectangular watercolor bounded by a fine‑line frame. It portrays a single orange day lily (Hemerocallis fulva) with trumpet‑shaped blossoms, deep green foliage, and a bright yellow flower centre. The composition captures the fleeting nature of the bloom, which opens for only one day, a characteristic reflected in the title.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a perennial member of the lily family, its conical flowers arranged in a cymose cluster. By emphasizing the brief lifespan of each blossom, the image alludes to transience and the daily renewal inherent in the plant’s life cycle, inviting contemplation of impermanence.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolor, the artist employs delicate yet assured brushwork to render the petals’ translucency and the leaves’ subtle shading. A restrained palette of orange, yellow, and green creates a sense of gentle movement, as if a breeze is stirring the flower, while the fine border adds a crisp, defined edge to the piece.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the museum’s Asia Department collection in 1886. Departmental records do not specify the original source or the means of acquisition, leaving the work’s earlier ownership and the artist’s identity undocumented.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
