Denman Waldo Ross (Cincinnati, Ohio, 1853 - 1935, London)
Peonies, about 1919
Oil on canvas board , 36 x 26 cm (14 3/16 x 10 1/4 in.)
Two large blooms of pink peonies stand out from a profusion of greenery on a dark blue background. The colors and brushwork are soft, giving the canvas a dappled appearance. At the bottom left is the artist’s signature.
Macknight Room
Commentary
While violets were Isabella's favorite flowers, peonies must have been a close runner-up. She cultivated the pretty plants in her extensive gardens at her home in Brookline and won first prize from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for her "vase of [peony] blooms on long stems, arranged for effect." Her friend, art collector, and design theorist, Denman Ross, gave Isabella this painting of pink peonies which she displayed near her desk in the Macknight Room.