Artwork
Shrubby Althaea
Shrubby Althaea is a paint painting by the British Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. A delicate painting depicts a small tree with pale pink flowers and soft, fuzzy leaves in a simple pot.
About this work
Overview
A delicate painting depicts a small tree with pale pink flowers and soft, fuzzy leaves in a simple pot.
Subject & Meaning
The tree is a shrubby althaea, known as 'mu jin' in Chinese, a popular ornamental in southern China. Its depiction reflects the 18th- and 19th-century British fascination with exotic flora.
History & Provenance
The painting was created during a period when British collectors enthusiastically acquired foreign plants and commissioned artworks featuring tropical species.
Context
The artwork is part of a broader cultural exchange, with travellers bringing back Asian plants and images of them to Britain.
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
