Chinese Art and the Reeves Collection: Images of Nature - Softcover

Magee, Judith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0565092839 ISBN 13: 9780565092832

Publisher: The Natural History Museum, 2011

Synopsis

Chinese Art and the Reeves Collection is a selection of some of the finest examples of Chinese natural history drawings in the Natural History Museum's collections, many of which have never been published before. The book brings together a unique collection of botanical, zoological and entomological drawings depicting the natural history of China. Commissioned and collected during the early nineteenth century by John Reeves and his son, and now housed in the Natural History Museum, London, these outstanding images are important not only for their striking beauty but also for their scientific significance. Sent to China in 1812, John Reeves was a tea inspector for the East India Company and a keen amateur naturalist who commissioned hundreds of scientific drawings from local artists, which were then sent to Britain. Despite often being highly stylised, the images helped to further European knowledge of Chinese natural history during a time when access to the country was severely restricted. Through their dedicated and enthusiastic work, Reeves and his son helped pave the way for some of the great explorers and collectors that followed.

About this title

About the Author

Judith Magee has managed the art collections of the Library of the Natural History Museum, London, for over 10 years. She is the author of Art of Nature and The Art and Science of William Bartram and has contributed to several other books including Plant Discoveries: A Botanist's Voyage Through Plant Exploration and The Great Naturalists.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Natural History Museum
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0565092839
• ISBN 13: 9780565092832
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112