Picture Details
Neem, watercolour and gouache on paper.
Partner:
Kew GardensImage reference:
ILLUS43.01/7.01FOrigin:
IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, c.1800Size:
434 x 291 mmDescription:
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Kew holds a number of illustrations from India, painted on blue paper, featuring stylized plants, whose leaves and flowers seldom overlap. The labelling on these drawings is probably that of Francis Hamilton, (nee Buchanan, 1762-1829), who employed native artists while surveying the natural history of India in the early 1800's. It is difficult to say if he actually commissioned, or merely labelled these works on blue paper, but all would appear to be by the same artist. In Western botanical illustrations, the initial line drawing was achieved with the use of a pencil, chalk or pen. Early Indian botanical illustrators appear to have employed the use of a very fine brush and paint for such work, which allowed little room for error. Corrections can occasionally be seen, where watercolour has been lifted off the surface of the paper by gently wetting and blotting the painted line, or over-painting with opaque white.
