An album of 49 watercolours of flowers and associated faunaincluding Paeonia suffruticosa (Tree Peony), Canna indica (Indian Shot), Crawfurdia speciosa (Gentian Vine), Rosa chinensis (Chinese Rose), Tagetes erecta (Marigold), Trapa bicornis (Waterchestnut), Latera arborea (Tree Mallow), Gossypium arboreum (Cotton), Chenopodium blitum (Srawberry Goosefoot), Rhododendron simsii (Azalea), Pisum satirum (Pea), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Hibiscus), Canna indica, (Indian Shot) and Sagittaria sagittifolia (Arrowhead)

The late 18th century saw the rise of natural history painting and patronage in China and the East Indies. The Chinese had been producing exquisite flower portraits from as early as the 7th and 8th centuries. When the Europeans arrived in Canton and Macao, the Chinese painters realized that the Europeans were keen to collect exotic specimens and wanted to commission drawings to send back home. Stock sets of pictures were soon produced for the western market depicting flowers fruit, birds and insects. Many patrons would provide the artists with English paper and so it is not uncommon to see an album such as the present one with watercolours executed on Whatman paper. Not only did the Far East provide Europeans with some of the loveliest and most exciting flowers and shrubs, but the artists in the East made a very real contribution to the development of botanical art.