
May one see it?
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
This painting of Chinese dates is drawn on western paper, specially imported into China for its quality. Exotic flora and fauna were of great interest to British botanists in the 18th and 19th centuries, and such enthusiasm gradually filtered down to the general public. Travellers often returned to Britain with foreign plants and, more commonly, paintings depicting numerous species of tropical flowers and fruits.
Victoria and Albert Museum