Peonies

The peony is an oft-recurring subject in Chinese poetry, drama, and art. Known as the "Luoyang flower" since the 600s, the peony symbolizes the glory of the Tang dynasty (618–907), considered a golden era in Chinese history. Many peony gardens were cultivated to decorate the palace and city of Luoyang (in what is now Henan province), which became the Tang dynasty's eastern capital in 657. Tang poets frequently recounted the fact that nobles treasured the peony like gold. During the blossoming period, which usually lasts a few weeks, the whole city would stay lit up all night, and thousands of visitors from all over the country would crowd around flower markets and peony gardens, where women, wearing the flower as headdresses played the flute or sang to the accompaniment of dancers and musicians.

Zhang Daqian offers a simplified composition of two leafed-out branches bearing a peony blossom and a bud. He signed the painting with his artist name: Yuanweng at the age of 76.