Great growing on your part, for sure : ) I saw a cattleya bowringiana at a show recently that looks remarkably like this, but I could be wrong.

I agree with Cal-it certainly looks like C. bowringiana (which loves to bloom profusely, like in your photo), but needs the right care and conditions to do so!

Beautiful!

Carol

Just gorgeous, and what a beautiful job in bringing it back to this beauty. Congratulations!!!! Tricia

Wow! Does look like bowringiana...I think it is the pure species, not a cross...What a find!
My var caerulea is in bloom right now - looks like it is C. bowringiana blooming time in Tampabay!

Beautiful specimen
Olya

I am not a catt expert, my skinneri looks like that- unless mine is mislabelled. The color is not as intense as yours.

Hmm I'm not a catt expert either and now that sambac mentions is, it does look like skinneri, because the bowringiana I saw had really tall pbulbs...yours looks more compact.

I considered skinneri...but then, the lip looks different, and more like bowringiana. Color does not matter, there are variations.
Height is reasonable. I think what matters if the time of the year it is blooming.
Here is mine from September 2007
{{gwi:1123043}}From Orchids September 2007

And here is cerulea, in bloom now
{{gwi:1123045}}From Orchids March 2008

According to A.A. Chadwick:
This delightful small-flowered Cattleya species always produces an abundance of bright rose-lavender flowers in time for this spring holiday.

The first cool breeze of autumn tickles our cheeks and the smell of hot apple cider and spiced cookies fills the air, it is time for the autumn-flowering Cattleya species to make their debut. High on the list of favorites is the small-flowered species Cattleya bowringiana. With many more bright lavender blooms than its spring-flowering sister, Cattleya skinneri, C. bowringiana gives us a bouquet of flowers on a single plant.

And a few pictures from the web...you can see, very similar...but considering yours is blooming now, I am inclined to say you have bowringiana
C. skinneri
{{gwi:1123047}}

{{gwi:1123049}}

Cattleya bowringiana
{{gwi:1123051}}

I don't know about skinerii, but bowringiana has a very unusual sahpe to the base of the psbs., very flattened & round at it's base and sharply tapering to the remainder of the psb.. Perhaps this might help with ID. Whatever the species, it is a beautiful specimen.....certainly a wonderful find!

I have the same plant and have been told by many reputable growers that it is indeed C. bowringiana. Many years ago I took one of my very large bowringiana to an orchid show. It was in full bloom with over 250 flowers. As I pulled a wagon with this monster inside I was inundated by the growers and show visitors alike. Needless to say, that plant was sold to one of the growers for what I thought was a hefty price.

Granniek brings up an important point, which will help you distinguish bowringiana from skinneri

{{gwi:1123053}}

Also important (as it has been my experience, and here is a description, per Chadwick):
The "eyes," which produce the new growths, are set quite low on C. bowringiana

No doubt then, it's C. bowringiana. I've watched the psuedobulbs grow for the past two years. Excellent observation - thanks.

Gorgeous orchid!~Charm

Thank you for this thread! I divided & repotted a huge orchid for a friend a few years ago. She wanted to give starts to family, and I got to keep a snippet for myself. Although I thought it looked like bowringiana, I labeled it 'Gretchen's Orchid'. Now I can add a more scientific sounding attribution.
MsFlintlock