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Accession Number 2004.19.4 Title Peonies Alternate Title Tree Peony Category paintings Object Type hanging scroll Artist Empress Dowager Cixi Date Made 1905 Place Made China Culture Chinese Period Qing 20th century Materials ink and colour on silk Measurements sheet: 228.6 cm x 76.7 cm; image: 118 cm x 61.7 cm Description

A hanging scroll depicting branches with two peony blossoms - one red and one yellow-pink. This painting has been attributed to Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), a controversial political figure from the Qing Dynasty…

A hanging scroll depicting branches with two peony blossoms - one red and one yellow-pink. This painting has been attributed to Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), a controversial political figure from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) who has interests in calligraphy and painting. The flowers are painted in the mogu, or "boneless" technique, while the branches and leaves are rendered in the gongbi style, which uses a more detailed and realistic brushstroke. In China, the tree peony, or mudan, is a popular shrub in many gardens, and the peony flower as a symbol represents wealth, rank and honour.

Read More + Inscriptions and Colophons Inscribed by the Empress Cixi and impressed with 4 seals of the artist. Credit Line Gift of Sandy and Cécile Mactaggart