Rose Medallion: Of Porcelain and Peonies

Though actually a sub-category of the famille rose, or pink family, this style features distinctive panels placed around a central floral motif, inside which lies not a rose but a peony, the former national flower. Surrounding scenes alternate between depictions of people and of flora and fauna. When either is present without the other, the design would technically be considered Rose Mandarin or Rose Canton, but the general public still largely identifies all three sub-groups as simply “Rose Medallion.”