Recasting the King of Flowers in Late Imperial China

Kristen L. Chiem, associate professor of art history at Pepperdine University, explores the role of floral imagery in Qing-dynasty China. Focusing on the peony, Chiem traces how artists used the flower to demonstrate imperial power during the 17th through 20th centuries. Prominently adorning portraits and material objects of Qing emperors and empresses, these images offer insight into gender, ethnicity, and diplomacy at court.