Peonies

early 1900s

Peonies, early 1900s. Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392−1910) or Japanese colonial period (1910−1945). Eight-panel folding screen; ink and pigment on silk; painting: 105.8 x 32.6 cm (41 5/8 x 12 13/16 in.); overall framed: 180.2 x 368.4 cm (70 15/16 x 145 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll, KM, and Roberta Carroll, M.D. 2022.59 By the late nineteenth century, peony paintings with bold designs and striking graphic stylization were increasingly produced and consumed by middle-class members because of its symbolic meaning: prosperity and wealth. This early 20th-century folding screen of peonies may have used for festive occasions such as weddings. This early 20th-century folding screen has both sides painted with the image of bloomed peonies.