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Nature


Plants and flowers. More - trees, fruits, animals etc. - to be added soon!



5 subcategories
all other Plants

ALL OTHER PLANTS

Animals

ANIMALS

Flowers

FLOWERS

Fruit & Vegetables

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

Trees

TREES

6,644 photos
A basket of flowers, Ding family of the Jinchang pavillion, Suzhou, 1690. The inscription on this print identifies the Ding family as coming from [near] the Jinchang pavillion. The Jinchang pavillion was near the Chang gate, in north-western Suzhou. This is the area where the district of Taohuawu was located, which had many hundreds of print workshops in the early Qing dynasty. Each print is of an auspicious subject accompanied by a verse which is a pun on the motifs depicted.The basket is an attribute of Lan Caihe, one of the Eight Immortals. It represented a receptacle of riches and was a motif which was often used to evoke harmony. In this case, it comes with the wish that one's luck would be as fragrant and as plentiful as the flowers in the basket. The magnolia, wild apple and peony are all symbols of spring, and so this print would presumably have been used during the Chinese New Year. When the magnolia and wild apple are depicted together, it means, 'May your halls be rich and honoured'. The peony was also known as fugui hua, the flower of riches and honour. OA, 1906.11-28.3
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A basket of flowers, Ding family of the Jinchang pavillion, Suzhou, 1690. The in...

Jade rhyton, Chinese, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. This cup takes the traditional form of a hornshaped rhyton. It stands vertically on a flat, narrow base, widening to an uneven lip. An inscription is carved around the inside of the lip. The outside surface is carved with wave-like scrolls, where sea-creatures frolic carved in bold relief. The lower half of the cup is held in the mouth of a fish or dragon, whose tail twists along the side of the cup.
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Jade rhyton, Chinese, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. This cup takes the tradit...

Monkeys Hanging scroll, silk embroidery. Song Dynasty, China; 10th century CE.
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Monkeys Hanging scroll, silk embroidery. Song Dynasty, China; 10th century CE.

Country doctor applying a painful cure of moxibustion (traditional Chinese medical therapy utilizing special herbs) to a man's back. Hanging scroll, silk embroidery. Song Dynasty, China; 10th century CE.
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Country doctor applying a painful cure of moxibustion (traditional Chinese medic...

On the River at Qing Ming Festival. This painting is considered one of the most valuable in Chinese art history for its high level of technical quality and the liveliness with which it portrays the myriad details of urban life. It is generally interpreted as portraying the city environs of Kaifeng, the Northern Song capital, and some of the surrounding countryside. Handscroll, ink and colors on silk. Northern Song Dynasty, China; 12th century CE.
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On the River at Qing Ming Festival. This painting is considered one of the most...

Tomoe Gozen on horseback. She was one of the few examples of a true female warrior samurai in all of Japanese history. She was a samurai during the time of the Genpei War (1180–1185). Japan, Late Heian period; 12th century.
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Tomoe Gozen on horseback. She was one of the few examples of a true female warri...

Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1536-1598), a Japanese feudal lord and samurai (Japanese warrior). Under the rule of Hideyoshi, Christian activity in Japan was greatly restricted.
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Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1536-1598), a Japanese feudal lord and samurai (Japanese war...

The Namamugi Incident was a samurai attack on foreign nationals in Japan on September 14, 1862, which resulted in the bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863. Charles Lennox Richardson (a British merchant) is at the centre of the scene. Woodblock print; Japan, 19th century.
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The Namamugi Incident was a samurai attack on foreign nationals in Japan on Sept...

White eagle. Embroidery on silk. China; Song dynasty.
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White eagle. Embroidery on silk. China; Song dynasty.

Prancing horse. Rubbing from a tomb. China; Han dynasty, 206 BCE - 220 CE.
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Prancing horse. Rubbing from a tomb. China; Han dynasty, 206 BCE - 220 CE.

Nobleman accompanied by his squire (fragment from a scene with the life of Buddha). Wallpainting from Dun Huang. China; Tang dynasty, 7th century CE. Inv. EO 1153.
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Nobleman accompanied by his squire (fragment from a scene with the life of Buddh...

Emperor Tang Xuanzong (685-762) watching his fafourite concubine Yang Guifei mount a horse. She was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Tang dynasty; 8th century CE.
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Emperor Tang Xuanzong (685-762) watching his fafourite concubine Yang Guifei mou...