Few other garden plants go back in history as far as peonies, which in China have been used and cultivated for over 4000 years. There are hundreds of cultivars, of which only a few can be found in gardens in Central Europe. In China, the most important country of peony origins, many splendid pictures have been painted from the Tang Dynasty up to the present time. The peony was mentioned again and again in herbals of Greek and Roman times and the Middle Ages. Benedictine monks introduced it to the monastery gardens north of the Alps in the early Middle Ages - the name "Benedictine rose" reminds us of this fact. From there it found its way into the cottage gardens. In the 19th century, not only were numerous new peony varieties produced, but also many peony paintings, of which those by Manet, Renoir, Fantin-Latour, Gauguin and Delacroix are best known.

This semi-abstract painting depicts peonies at that time of day when the sunset's rays strike the highest blooms (see "papa, mama, baby") silhouetted against a dark blue sky. The painting on a full sheet of 300-pound paper is mostly acrylic with only the background and abstract blooms painted in watercolor.The painting is digitally framed with "white cream" top mat, "ice mauve" submat and "tranquil green" frame. This painting also would look gorgeous "floated" as all borders are deckled.