THE BOOK OF THE PEONY 



period of development, the peony was well repre- 

 sented in numerous pieces which were decorated 

 in colour. 



In the advance in ceramic art which culmi- 

 nated in the Kang Hsi Period (1662-1796 a.d.), 

 the peony was used more and more frequently 

 as a theme and was portrayed with greater beauty 

 and fidelity. To show the peony as it appears 

 on what is generally considered to be the most 

 wonderful porcelain the world has ever seen, I 

 have reproduced in colour a vase of this period 

 ( see colour plate ) . The vase is one of the Altman 

 collection and has a value of many thousand 

 dollars. 



The Tree Peony in Japan 

 About the time of the establishing of the gene- 

 alogical register in China, many tree peonies were 

 taken to Japan. Under the name Botan (prob- 

 ably the same word as moutan), they at once 

 became great favourites as ornamental plants — 

 a popularity that has continued to the present 

 time. The medicinal qualities of the plant were 

 soon known to the Japanese and in time the cul- 

 ture of the tree peony for sale as a remedy grew 



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