Peonies

Peonies, or botan, occupy the highest rank in the traditional Japanese hierarchy of flowers, often called the "king of flowers" for their lavish, multi-petaled blooms and association with wealth, honor, and prosperity. Taisui printed this subject in July 1929, using ink and color on paper to render the massive, ruffled blossoms that can measure over twenty centimeters across in life. The peony's sheer abundance of petals, folding and overlapping in complex layers, demands virtuoso carving to separate each petal edge while preserving the blossom's voluminous, almost spherical form. Taisui's composition focuses closely on the flowers, likely showing two or three blooms with their dark, lobed foliage. This print is part of the concentrated group of botanical subjects the artist produced in the summer of 1929, a period that also yielded his dahlia and hydrangea works.