REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CAMELLIA IN CHINA AND DURING ITS EARLY CAREER IN THE WEST

Abstract

The camellia first reached the West as trade with Japan and China gained momentum in the 17th and 18th centuries, quickly attracting the attention of botanists and horticulturists. Early representations of the camellia in the West were mostly illustrations in specialised publications with brief, written descriptions focused mainly on classification and identification, occasionally with the addition of some horticultural advice. In China, on the other hand, where camellias had been cultivated since at least the 5th century CE, artists and illustrators always showed camellias (and other plants) together with descriptive text, literary references, medicinal information and more. The camellia was embedded in a rich cultural context in China, in contrast to the West where it was an object of study or an ornamental specimen valued for its appearance rather than for meaningful associations with times, people or places familiar to the reader or viewer of the image.