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ID #SA1166376
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£55
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Lt Col Thomas Ditmas Original Early 19th Century Antique Rice Paper Painting Rose & Narcissi, C1838 Floral Study
Strickland & Russell
for sale €64     $70
£55
Strickland & Russell

Strickland & Russell

Sellingantiques Verified Since Sep 2018
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Id #SA1166376
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Lt Col Thomas Ditmas Original Early 19th Century Antique Rice Paper Painting Rose & Narcissi, C1838 Floral Study

19th century
Description

Type of artwork: Original Rice Paper Painting – Rose & Narcissi

Surface: Rice paper

Artist and Signature: Attributed to Lt-Col Thomas Ditmas (1806–1885)

Inscribed to mount as by Ditmas senior, c.1838

Subject: A delicate botanical study of a deep red rose and white narcissi, painted on rice paper during Ditmas’s service in India around 1838. Such works, often fragile, were popular among British officers and Company School artists of the early Victorian period.

Approximate age of artwork: Circa 1830s–1840s

Is the artwork Framed or Mounted: Mounted on green card with gilt edging, as shown.

Condition Report: The painting shows age-typical wear with creases, handling marks and minor tears to the delicate rice paper. Please study photographs for details. Despite these signs of age, the colours remain vibrant and the botanical detail is finely preserved.

Size of painting 22 x 21 cm incl. backing (actual painting 16 x 16 cm)

Artist Biography: Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Ditmas (1806–1885) was a career officer in the Honourable East India Company’s Bengal Artillery, later serving under the British Indian Army. Commissioned in the 1820s, he rose to senior rank and spent many years stationed in India, where he recorded landscapes, architecture and floral studies in watercolour and on rice paper. His works from the 1830s–40s are rare survivals of the period, bridging Company School traditions with a personal officer’s eye. Ditmas retired to York, where his descendants, including Colonel Harold Percy Ditmas (1853–1937), continued the family’s military and artistic traditions

Physical Dimensions
Height
16cm (6.30")
Width
16cm (6.30")
Declaration

Strickland & Russell has dated this Antique Botanical Pith Painting to the 1800s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1166376
Dealers Notes

***************

*Our prices include fully insured UK delivery. We are able to quote for International delivery upon request.

*Your purchased painting will be securely packaged and posted via Insured Royal Mail or Parcelforce delivery within 2 working days of receiving payment.

*We are happy to receive payment via the PayPal platform which accepts most debit and credit cards. Please contact us to enquire about other payment methods.

*If a painting is framed, the frame will be provided free of charge and we cannot offer any warranty for the condition or damage to a frame as a result of delivery. Original frames will have wear in line with age. We consider glass to be part of the frame, and as a restricted item is not warranted . Glass can be removed prior to shipping at the buyers request.

*In the unlikely event that you are not happy with your purchase, for any reason, we will always accept returns and offer a no quibble refund if notified within 14 days of receiving the item and returned to us in the same condition. The buyer is however, liable for the return postal charges.

***************

Description
Type of artwork: Original Rice Paper Painting – Rose & Narcissi

Surface: Rice paper

Artist and Signature: Attributed to Lt-Col Thomas Ditmas (1806–1885)

Inscribed to mount as by Ditmas senior, c.1838

Subject: A delicate botanical study of a deep red rose and white narcissi, painted on rice paper during Ditmas’s service in India around 1838.
Strickland & Russell

Such works, often fragile, were popular among British officers and Company School artists of the early Victorian period.

fig 1. A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers.
fig 1. Lt Col Thomas Ditmas Original Early 19th Century Antique Rice Paper Painting Rose & Narcissi, C1838 Floral Study

Approximate age of artwork: Circa 1830s–1840s

Is the artwork Framed or Mounted: Mounted on green card with gilt edging, as shown.

Condition Report: The painting shows age-typical wear with creases, handling marks and minor tears to the delicate rice paper. Please study photographs for details. Despite these signs of age, the colours remain vibrant and the botanical detail is finely preserved.

fig 2. A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers.
fig 2. Lt Col Thomas Ditmas Original Early 19th Century Antique Rice Paper Painting Rose & Narcissi, C1838 Floral Study

Size of painting 22 x 21 cm incl. backing (actual painting 16 x 16 cm)

Artist Biography: Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Ditmas (1806–1885) was a career officer in the Honourable East India Company’s Bengal Artillery, later serving under the British Indian Army. Commissioned in the 1820s, he rose to senior rank and spent many years stationed in India, where he recorded landscapes, architecture and floral studies in watercolour and on rice paper. His works from the 1830s–40s are rare survivals of the period, bridging Company School traditions with a personal officer’s eye. Ditmas retired to York, where his descendants, including Colonel Harold Percy Ditmas (1853–1937), continued the family’s military and artistic traditions

Height
16cm (6.30")
Width
16cm (6.30")
Date of Manufacture

Strickland & Russell has dated this Antique Botanical Pith Painting to the 1800s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1166376
Strickland & Russell
Strickland & Russell
Sellingantiques verified Since Sep 2018

Yorkshire based art dealers specialising in 19th century & early 20th century oil paintings & watercolours

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Strickland & Russell Profile Page

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A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers.
1 / 11
Archive I A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers.

Lt Col Thomas Ditmas Original Early 19th Century Antique Rice Paper Painting Rose & Narcissi, C1838 Floral Study

Archive II A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View II
Archive III A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View III
Archive IV A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View IV
Archive V A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View V
Archive VI A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View VI
Archive VII A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View VII
Archive VIII A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View VIII
Archive IX A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View IX
Archive X A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View X
Archive XI A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers. View XI
Enlarged Archival View
Telephone 07504 958608
Location
Wilberfoss
York
East Riding of Yorkshire
United Kingdom
Verified Since Sep 2018
Items For Sale 256
Items Sold 3,249
Strickland & Russell
Strickland & Russell
Verified Since Sep 2018
View Dealer Info
Location: Wilberfoss, York, East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Verified
Sep 2018
For Sale
256
Sold
3,249
A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers.
Lt Col Thomas Ditmas Original early 19th Century Antique Rice Paper Painting Rose & Narcissi, c1838 Floral Study
Ref: SA1166376
A botanical floral study painted on textured cream pith paper featuring a crimson rose and a cluster of white narcissi flowers.
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Archival Detail
Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.
Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.
Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

Pith paper paintings, historically referred to incorrectly as rice paper art, originated in Canton, China during the 19th century as popular export souvenirs for European travellers.

These works were crafted using watercolour or gouache pigments painted onto delicate, translucent sheets cut from the inner pith of the Tetrapanax papyrifer shrub.

Authentic pieces exhibit a characteristic velvety surface texture with fine cellular structure visible under close inspection, often accompanied by natural hairline splitting due to age and moisture sensitivity.

Botanical studies can be framed in slim wooden or gilt mouldings and displayed in groupings, bringing natural motifs into entryways, studies, or dining rooms.

Pith paper is extremely brittle and sensitive to humidity, requiring conservation mounting using acid-free materials and UV-protective glass away from direct sunlight.
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