Peony No 24

The twenty-fourth peony in Sugiura Kazutoshi's botan series shows the flower in a state of lush fullness — the multiple layers of petals that characterize a mature peony bloom providing an ideal subject for a printmaker whose technique involves building up depth through accumulated layers of ink. The peony has been prized in Japanese gardens since antiquity, and its associations with nobility and prosperity — it is sometimes called the king of flowers in East Asian tradition — align with the dignified treatment Sugiura accords it. This high-numbered entry in the peony series shows considerable refinement in the artist's handling of the flower's complex form.