Lot Essay
(a) This plant from the family Rutacea can reach 10 metres and is widespread in India and south-east Asia. Its trifoliate leaves resemble a trident. The tree is sacred to the devotees of Shiva and is known locally as the 'Bael' or Bilva tree; Bilvadandin (or the holder of a staff of the Bilva wood) is another name for Shiva. The leaves and fruit of the tree are used in the worship of Shiva and Lakshmi. The offering of the fruit is believed to promote fertility.
(b) A small shrub from the family Acanthaceae. This plant is characterised by its ice-blue flowers, and is widespread in the tropics of the Old World. It was introduced into the Calcutta Botanic Garden before 1794.
(c) The crepe jasmine, from the family Rubiaceae, is a small tree native to tropical Asia, but widely cultivated throughout the tropics. This double form is recorded as having been introduced to the Calcutta Botanic Garden before 1794. There is a version of this composition among the Wellesley drawings in the British Library, (NHD 12, F 109.)
(d) A widespread shrub, from the family Oleaceae, occurring from south Europe to China, widely cultivated for its scented flowers, which are abundant during the summer and the rainy season.
(e) A small mangrove tree, from the family Rhizophoraceae, occuring from the Sunderbans to Malacca.
(f) This drawing, possibly from the family Steruliaceae, is inscribed with the Bengali name Polygamia Monoccia which is incorrect for this plant.
(g) A large shrub from the family Solanaceae, which grows up to 6 metres occuring in the tropics of both the Old and the New Worlds. The fruit is edible and eaten as a vegetable.
(h) A large climber, from the family Apocynaceae, this plant is widespread in tropical south-east Asia. The strange generic name is derived form a Malayalam name for the plant given in Hortus Malabaricus by Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Draakestein (1678).
For further information regarding the execution of these botanical watercolours see exhibition catalogue, Hobhouse and Colnaghi, Fifty-one flowers: Botanical watercolours from Bengal, May 2006.
(b) A small shrub from the family Acanthaceae. This plant is characterised by its ice-blue flowers, and is widespread in the tropics of the Old World. It was introduced into the Calcutta Botanic Garden before 1794.
(c) The crepe jasmine, from the family Rubiaceae, is a small tree native to tropical Asia, but widely cultivated throughout the tropics. This double form is recorded as having been introduced to the Calcutta Botanic Garden before 1794. There is a version of this composition among the Wellesley drawings in the British Library, (NHD 12, F 109.)
(d) A widespread shrub, from the family Oleaceae, occurring from south Europe to China, widely cultivated for its scented flowers, which are abundant during the summer and the rainy season.
(e) A small mangrove tree, from the family Rhizophoraceae, occuring from the Sunderbans to Malacca.
(f) This drawing, possibly from the family Steruliaceae, is inscribed with the Bengali name Polygamia Monoccia which is incorrect for this plant.
(g) A large shrub from the family Solanaceae, which grows up to 6 metres occuring in the tropics of both the Old and the New Worlds. The fruit is edible and eaten as a vegetable.
(h) A large climber, from the family Apocynaceae, this plant is widespread in tropical south-east Asia. The strange generic name is derived form a Malayalam name for the plant given in Hortus Malabaricus by Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Draakestein (1678).
For further information regarding the execution of these botanical watercolours see exhibition catalogue, Hobhouse and Colnaghi, Fifty-one flowers: Botanical watercolours from Bengal, May 2006.