Peonie rose

[roger dundas]

Firstly- are the NMB members comfortable with me posting requests for opinions as I've been doing ?

That is - too frequently ?

The question for this one is the approx. date- is it c1850s ?

An iron plate with overlaid ,silvered peonie rose (silvered copper possibly?). A butterfly on the ura face- is that how it is described.

84 x 79 x 4.7 mm

Good condition. Has been mounted.

I quite like it.

 

Roger dundas

[roger dundas]

Am I adrift in my judgement or not (?) but in the NMB post " Show Us Your High Class Tosogu ", page 1 , 14th post down by 'Oleg' or GrozaB, dated January 24, 2016 there is a tsuba with similarities to the above. Oleg's tsuba includes 2 shishi figures but the peonies and particularly the foliage are very similar.

 

I suppose one might say-'so what' but that fact interested me.

Roger Dundas

[johnnyi]

Hi Roger. Your tsuba looks nicely carved to my eyes, and I too hope someone can give some hints as to why this would be 1850's. Good luck!

 

 

Johnnyi

[John A Stuart]

An auspicious symbol, bravery in battle and good fortune in life. John

[Austus]

How can 16 posts be too frequent? (Unless for commercial purposes.)

 

Good pictures of quality pieces are enjoyable and educational for all.   Bring it on!

[roger dundas]

Thank you three for your posts-

No one to date has offered any clue to a period of possible manufacture- possibly it's not that straight forward Johnnyi  although I would have thought the later periods to have been sorted ?

As for the comment about the peonie being a symbol for bravery on the battlefield and for good fortune in life- this is an appealing thing to read because I had wondered if a flower might not have seemed an effeminate thing for a samurai to wear- glad to be told such is not the case so thank you John Stuart in the Arctic zone of Canada where you possibly don't see a lot of flowers ?

Roger Dundas

,

[Bazza]

An auspicious symbol, bravery in battle and good fortune in life. John

Trawling around google I found it elusive to pin down John's succinct description with any certainty.  However, I found the following - the last paragraph comes close.

 

BaZZa.

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http://likecooltattoos.blogspot.com/2011/04/symbolic-meaning-of-peony-tattoos.html

As a tattoo design, the peony symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. The peony is a potent symbol of beauty, of the fragility and fleeting nature of existence and the knowledge that acquiring great rewards comes only by taking great risks.

 

In traditional Japanese tattooing, certain design elements are often paired together, dragons, lions and demons with various flowers - in effect a delicate balancing of power with beauty.

Peonies, or "botan" are a flower symbol that is traditionally paired with a Japanese lion, or "Shishi". This pairing is called Karajishi, and the ferocity of the lion is tempered by the beauty of the peony. But rather than merely being a simple symbolic example of Yin and Yang at work, the peony is a powerful tattoo design element in its own right.

 

The Peony is a flower with a history of cultivation and veneration that goes back thousands of years. In Japan and China, the peony is a floral symbol with meaning on par with the Chrysanthemum, the Lotus and the Cherry Blossom. The Peony is regarded as a symbol of wealth, and remember in both China and Japan, stone lions are used to guard palaces and homes, temples and sacred places, so the pairing of the peony with the lion in tattooing is no accident.

 

According to Japanese tattooing tradition, peonies also symbolize daring, risk taking and the gambler's or Samurai's devil-may-care approach to life. A gambler's next bet may be his last, a true Samurai according to the Code of Bushido, or The Way of the Warrior, lives each day as if it may be his last.

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[John A Stuart]

Roger, almost 40 years in the arctic only. Many flowers here, but, of arctic or alpine types, close to the ground. Prior to that exposed to British style horticulture by my gran, a Daughter of the Empire matron and peonies by chance were one of her favourites. Hardy plants to say the least. John