I’m not sure if this was some sort of sample book or an extremely early version of our modern day coffee table book but no matter what, it is exceptional. It dates back to the 1700s and contains a series of small Japanese paintings – all done on silk. The book is held privately and the owners graciously allowed someone to take photographs or scan the pages.
This dramatic piece of Japanese orange flowers features a pair of flowers that remind me of a peony on beige silk. One of the flowers is pained solid orange with white edges and the other is a slightly darker shade of orange with round dots on the petals. Dark leaves were added to truly complete this flower drawing. It was the shape of the leaves that confirmed to me that at least one of these flowers was a peony.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
