Hanging scrolls with such compositions have been documented since the 10th century. They were among the first pictures to be hung on palace walls as hanging scrolls. This painting stands in the tradition of Xu Xi's (active around 970) flower naturalistic paintings.
In Chinese, the peony is also called 'flower of wealth and honour' (fugui hua)., the magnolia 'jade orchid' (yulan), and the ornamental apple haitang, where the component 'tang' is homonymous with 'hall' (tang). Together they form 'jade hall' (yutang), the symbol of a noble and prosperous residence. The painting thus represents the wish for wealth and honour in the ‘jade hall' (yutang fugui), and it may have served as an auspicious New Year painting with this statement. Judging by its stylistic features, the unsigned picture may have been created in the18th century.