Della Purves
Rodella Anne Purves (6 July 1945 – 17 January 2008) was a British botanical artist. Purves was born in 1945 in Paisley, Scotland, and two years later moved to Edinburgh with her family, where she attended St. She received a degree in agriculture from Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture.
Also recorded as Rodella Purves · Rodella Anne Purves
Della Purves
- Name
- Della Purves
- Born
- 6 July 1945
- Birthplace
- Paisley, United Kingdom
- Died
- 17 January 2008
- Place of death
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Education
- St Margaret's Convent, East of Scotland College
- Field
- Botanical Illustration
- Occupation
- Botanical artist
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Honours
- Jill Smythies Award
- Languages
- English
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In this article
Biography
Biography
She trained at Cambridge as a seed tester. She spent a year in New Zealand, working for the government's Department of Industry, before returning to Edinburgh to work at the Royal Botanic Garden. Purves left the Botanic Garden in 1976 to concentrate on her career as a botanical artist. Her work was exhibited around the world, in the United States, Ireland, Japan and Germany, with the Queen's Royal Botanist describing her as one of Britain's leading artists. She was awarded the Jill Smythies Award in 1998. Purves died on 17 January 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Della Purves • Born — 6 July 1945 • Birthplace — Paisley, United Kingdom • Died — 17 January 2008 • Place of death — Edinburgh, United Kingdom • Education — St Margaret's Convent, East of Scotland College • Field — Botanical Illustration • Occupation — Botanical artist
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Paisley.
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Edinburgh.
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Della Purves, revision 1376888350 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 September 2026.
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