Della Purves

{{Short description|British botanical artist (1945–2008)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

{{Infobox artist

| name = Della Purves

| image =

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1945|7|6|df=y}}

| birth_place = Paisley, United Kingdom

| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|1|17|1945|7|6|df=y}}

| death_place = Edinburgh, United Kingdom

| nationality = British

| education = St Margaret's Convent, East of Scotland College

| field = Botanical Illustration

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Rodella Anne Purves (6 July 1945 – 17 January 2008) was a British botanical artist.{{cite news |date=18 February 2008 |title=Plant artist Rodella was number one in her field |work=The Scotsman |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/plant-artist-rodella-was-number-one-her-field-2463238 |access-date=6 June 2022 |accessdate=}}

Purves was born in 1945 in Paisley, Scotland, and two years later moved to Edinburgh with her family, where she attended St. Margaret's School. She received a degree in agriculture from Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture. 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.{{Cite web |date=8 February 2008 |title=Della blossomed into one of the country's best artists |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/della-blossomed-one-countrys-best-artists-2463655 |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=The Scotsman |language=en}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Tyrrell |first1=Katherine |title=The Jill Smythies Award |url=https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/jill-smythies-award.html |website=Botanical Arts and Artists |access-date=21 December 2020}}

Purves died on 17 January 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland.