ENCOUNTERING WHANG TONG

This touring exhibition, created in collaboration with the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF), showcases the exceptional John Bradby Blake Collection, a series of 18th-century botanical illustrations commissioned by British botanist and merchant John Bradby Blake during his time in Canton (Guangzhou). Curated from the archives of Bunny Mellon’s Oak Spring Garden Library, these intricate artworks provide a window into the intersection of natural science, trade, and cultural exchange between East and West. The works, produced with the help of Blake’s Chinese assistant Whang Tong (黄遏东) and artist Mai Xiu (Mauk-Sow-U/麦秀), capture the era’s fascinating exchanges across continents.

Notably, the Blake Collection was featured in a special edition of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (2017, Vol. 34, Issue 4), the world’s longest-running botanical periodical from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This publication followed a workshop led by Sir Peter Crane FRS, renowned botanist, president of OSGF, and former director of Kew, highlighting the collection’s importance within botanical history.

The Blake Collection is one of the many treasures amassed by Rachel Lambert Mellon, affectionately known as Bunny Mellon. Together with her husband, Paul Mellon, she established the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and Library to preserve and honor her extensive collections focused on horticulture, art, and the natural world. Through her vision, the foundation safeguards and celebrates these rare works for future generations.
The exhibition delves into the dynamics of 18th-century Canton trade, the exchange of botanical knowledge, and the rich cultural connections between East and West. Visitors are invited to e