Zeng Xiaolian (B. 1939) "Rhododendron Molle" Watercolor. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the China 15fen Rhododendron stamp issued June 25, 1991. Born in 1939 in Yunnan Province, Zeng Xiao Lian is a talented Chinese artist. He worked as a senior engineer of the Botanical Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences. In addition, Zeng Xiao Lian received artistic training in Beijing. The artist has painted a series of beautiful botanical images of flowers and birds. These accurate detailed images have been published in more than fifty books, including "Flora of China", "Flora and Rhododendrons Yunnan" and others. Paintings by Zeng Xiao Lian participated in numerous national exhibitions in China, as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia. Native to the plateaus and highlands of Asia the R. molle has flourished in eastern North America for centuries. In 1794 the renowned French botanist Andr? Michaux, trekking across the Great Smoky Mountains, described Rhododendron thickets so thick that he was "obliged to use an axe to clear the way." Such bounty prompts many who see these flowers in the mountains to make a beeline for the nearest nursery to purchase lush, vibrant Rhododendrons for their own gardens. Image Size: 8.25 x 10.25 in. Overall Size: 12 x 13.75 in. Unframed. (B13057)