PEONY TATTOO FLOWER'S MANY FACES

One sometimes wonders... if the tattoo critics are not right to make foregone conclusions about individuals who take tattoos to the extreme. These are individuals who "ink" every inch of their skin to the point of creating sights bordering beasts or something close… and while am at it, I observed a lady, a work colleague, who got tattooed when she was eighteen or thereabout - her motif is a heart bleeding from a dagger stuck in it.

She has this motif on her left breast. Interestingly, she always tries to hide it with scarves when she wears low cut tops. What intrigues me and amuses me further is that she goes through this discomfort to cover up something that she got onto her body in her “right state of mind…?” Something else that has my mind racing about her actions is how she plans or intends to nurse when that time comes and she has to uncover this boob.

This lady's tattoo image further makes me wonder what she will do when this boob is spent and wasted with time and aging? Why did she choose at dagger motif, what happened to the feminine tattoos; the flowers – the lotus flower, the rose flower, the cherubs, a peony flower… In the Language of Flowers, peonies were said to represent bashfulness or even shame. There others who interpret its image as one symbolizing anger.

However today, peony flowers are considered a more luscious symbol of romance, and are thought to be a good omen for happy, prosperous unions. As a gift, these flowers may be given for a variety of reasons – to wish someone a happy life with their new spouse or to celebrate a 12th wedding anniversary. They represent a wish for the recipient to receive endless love or endless wealth and esteem.

The beauty of the peony flower has long inspired artists in both the eastern and western parts of the world. Prior to the seventeenth century it was the artists of China and Japan who incorporated images of the peony into their work. The peony is practically the national flower of China and is often referred to in poetry and literature.

Peonies are one of the main motifs of Chinese decorative arts and can be found on porcelain, in woodblock and screen paintings as well as embroidered onto tapestries and clothing.

The peony came to the art of the western world much later and never attained the same level of use as in China and Japan. The peony began to gain popularity in Europe during the end of the 18th and during the 19th century artists began to paint them. Such great artists as Renoir and Fantin-Latour painted peonies. Today peonies are popular subjects for many amateur and professional artists everywhere.

Peonies have a long and varied history in both the eastern and western worlds. People have used peonies as food and medicine as well as sources of inspiration for their artwork and in their gardens. Whereas peonies have been used continually as medicine in the eastern world, the same cannot be said of the western world. Peonies were used during medieval times. However their popularity subsequently declined and until recently little was heard of the uses of peonies. Their uses included everything from childbirth to the warding off of evil spirits. Peonies were said to be recommended to cure gall stones, control epileptic seizures, soothe teething pain and cure jaundice.

Peony flowers are frequently used as ornamental plants and as the subject of art – from ancient Chinese watercolor paintings, to modern day body art. This is not surprising, as peonies have a long history in legends and folklore. The most commonly accepted myth is that of Paeon who, later became the physician of gods, was initially the student of Asclepius who became jealous of Paeon’s abilities. To save Paeon from the anger of Asclepius, Zeus intervened and turned Paeon into a peony flower.

A variation of this myth states that a lovely wood nymph called Paeonia was well loved by the gods, so the jealous goddess Venus transformed her into a delicate, blushing peony flower. Peony flowers also have a large part in folk medicine. Peonies as a medicine began during the Middle Ages, when madmen were covered with peony petals and leaves, as the oils were thought to have a soothing, curative effect.

All throughout history, though, all parts of the peony have been thought to do everything - easing the pain of childbirth, curing jaundice, hallucinations and other ailments. Although these plants have long been used for their wide variety of medicinal uses, people are still urged to take precaution, as these flowers, when taken in large doses, are considered poisonous to consume.

As if stunning beauty and heady fragrance weren't enough, peony plants are also exceedingly long-lived. The peony plants with double flowers tend to be the most fragrant. Peony plants are unlike many other perennials, in that they do not need to be divided on a regular basis. In fact, they dislike being disturbed. Like all flowers, peony flowers have a rich history of being an important part of several cultures, and this is the reason why peony tattoos have gained wide scale popularity across the world.

In Asian art, peony flower is used to symbolize female beauty and spring. Apart from these, peony can represent fragile or fleeting nature of existence, ambition, determination and compassion, while for the married, peony is the symbol of happy marriage. In Europe, peony is usually associated with Virgin Mary, quite contrary to the symbolism of this flower in Japanese culture. In Europe, the peony is referred as 'the rose without thorns'.

In traditional world of Japanese tattoo art of the peony tattoo designs, this flower is combined or paired with the Japanese lion. This is probably done in order to balance the ferociousness and the power of the lion, with the delicate and the fragile beauty of the peony flower. In flower tattoo designs options, the peony tattoos are attractive and fashionable with seemingly endless designs. The mere versatility of the designs of the peony flower tattoos rightly make them an all time favorite among a large number of tattoo lovers.

The peony flower is perennial, it is an all-year-round evergreen plant. It dies out in the fall but comes back with new flowers and fresh vroom and vigor in the spring – as in the rising from the ashes that the phoenix does.
In ornamental culture nothing precedes the peony, it has been around for a long time. It is the traditional floral symbol of China, having been made the national flower in 1903. In Japan, the peony name translates into 'foreign medicine' and is believed to combat convulsions.

In the ornate, complex and extensive body art of Japanese tattoos, the finished work seems as though entire gardens appear. Whilst floral repertoire of traditional Japanese tattoo is not as extensive as it might first appear. Among the select flowers that are used is the peony, a flower with a very long history, it dates as way back as 4,000 years. The peony is part of an old Japanese card game (reported to have been played by gamblers sporting tattoos), suggesting that gambling, daring and devil-may-care attitude.

In traditional Japanese tattooing, certain design elements are paired together, dragons, lions and demons with various flowers - in effect a delicate balancing of power with beauty. Peonies are a symbol that is traditionally paired with a Japanese lion or "Shishi". The ferocity of the lion is tempered with the beauty of the peony. This is the most realistic though simplistic symbol and example of Yin and Yang.

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 Way of the Warrior” lives each day as if it may be his last. The peony, whilst symbolizing beauty, fragility and fleeting nature of existence emphasizes the awareness that acquiring great rewards comes only through taking great risks.

“While this helps me understand the universal desire for peony flower tattoos... and while I still do not know the meaning behind some of the others... Still, I'll stick to peonies in my garden,” – quote of the day from a forum of tattoo communities. Interesting, hey…