Peony
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Peony is a 1800 paint by Unknown, a Chinese Orthodox School work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a bright yellow peony on thick, creamy paper. The flower takes up most of the frame, with soft petals and a bold center. It was made in China around 1820, but not for local buyers. British travelers loved foreign flowers, so they shipped art back home to study. This one came with imported paper meant for art, not just writing. See this at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
A rectangular watercolour on imported western paper shows a central brown branch bearing a green stem with four-pointed leaves and a large yellow peony composed of layered petals against a plain ground. The work reflects 18th–19th century British interest in unfamiliar flora, often collected through travel and depicted in paintings of tropical flowers and fruits. Acquired without recorded source, it was accessioned into the collection in 1890 as part of a provenance research project in 2022.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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