Picture Details
Lotus flower, watercolour on paper.
Partner:
Kew GardensImage reference:
ILLUS8.04/01ROXOrigin:
IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, 1790-1812Donor / Date:
1859Size:
527 x 375 mmDescription:
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The symbol of eternity, plenty and good fortune, the lotus has appeared in art and architecture throughout India's history. In Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, the unfolding flower embodies the endless Ocean of Creation, and the infinity of the Universe. Brahma, the Creator, is commonly depicted sitting on a lotus flower, and there are frequent visual associations between lotus plants and Shri Lakshmi, Goddess of Fertility. This painting, by an unknown Indian artist, is just one of over 2500 created under the direction of the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh, of the East India Company, depicting the various plants of India. The paper bears the watermark 'J WHATMAN', as do most of the illustrations in Kew's collections that were painted in India. It was common practise to import both the pigments and the paper from Europe, although paper was being manufactured in India and Nepal at the time
