Eighteenth-Century Botanical Collaboration of British Plant Hunter and Chinese Painter Unveiled in London Exhibition
An exhibition titled 'Seeds of Exchange' at London's Garden Museum features a 1773 watercolour of Camellia japonica, created by Cantonese artist Mak Sau in collaboration with John Bradby Blake, a supercargo for the British East India Company. This artwork is included in Blake's unpublished Flora Sinensis, the inaugural systematic catalog of Chinese plants, which had a significant impact on Sir Joseph Banks. Blake passed away in Guangzhou at the age of twenty-nine in 1773, during the Canton Trade period (1757–1842). His initiative, backed by his father and advisors, aimed to send seeds to Britain, introducing varieties such as Cochinchina rice. Whang At Tong, a translator, later brought Blake's archive to London, with specimens sent to places like Kew Gardens. The exhibition runs until 10 May 2026.
Key facts
- The exhibition 'Seeds of Exchange: London and Canton in the 1700s' runs at the Garden Museum, London through 10 May 2026.
- John Bradby Blake collaborated with Chinese painter Mak Sau in Canton in 1773 on botanical illustrations for his unpublished Flora Sinensis.
- Blake was a British East India Company supercargo and amateur plant hunter who died in Guangzhou at age twenty-nine in 1773.
- Mak Sau worked exclusively for Blake daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., producing paintings with Chinese names and scientific details.
- Blake's project influenced Sir Joseph Banks, honorary director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Blake used seed boxes invented by R. John Ellis to send specimens to Britain, with plants like Cochinchina rice introduced to Jamaica and South Carolina.
- The collaboration occurred during the Canton Trade period (1757–1842), with Western traders restricted to Guangzhou.
- Blake's translator Whang At Tong helped with language learning and brought Blake's archive to London after his death.
Entities
Artists
- Mak Sau
- John Bradby Blake
- Carl Linnaeus
- Georg Dionysius Ehret
- John Blake
- Daniel Solander
- R. John Ellis
- Whang At Tong
- Robert Fortune
- Sir Joseph Banks
Institutions
- Garden Museum
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- British East India Company
- Oak Spring Garden Foundation
- Oak Spring Garden Library
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Chelsea Physic Garden
- ArtReview Asia
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Canton
- Guangzhou
- China
- Macao
- Westminster
- Upperville
- Virginia
- United States
- Jamaica
- South Carolina
- Caribbean
- Taiwan
- Southeast Asia
- Japan
- Americas
- South Asia