Peony Flower and Leaves
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
9 3/8 x 7 1/2 in. (23.8 x 19.1 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Song dynasty (?) (960–1279)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1923
Accession Number
23.33.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite *Peony Flower and Leaves a delicate album leaf painting from China, attributed to the Song dynasty960–1279). This intimate artwork, rendered in ink and color on silk, captures the lush bloom and verdant leaves with remarkable precision. Measuring just 9⅜ × 7½ inches, it exemplifies the portable album leaf format popular among scholars and collectors, allowing for private contemplation and appreciation. During the Song era, flower-and-bird paintings flourished as a refined genre, blending poetic naturalism with technical mastery. Peonies, often called the "king of flowers,...