Panorama of peacock and peony
Yu De is famous for having a talent for embroidering flowers, especially peony. This excellent work won Yu a prize in The 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. (Gong, 2010) Inclined peony dominates the upper part and lower right of the embroidery, while two small peacocks are placed in the lower left. As common subject matters of embroidery, peony and peacock suggest the emphasis on auspiciousness by Guangdong people. Peacock represents elegance and genius, while peony symbolizes fortune. Large varieties of color are used to embroider peacock and peony. Not only the layer of the subjects is enriched, but also make it realistic. For example, pink, light pink and white are used layer by layer in order to show the tonal variation and depict a real peony. While there are three to four green colors used in the leaves. Those two peacocks are attractive as well by their color and their dynamic gestures.