Three peonies stretch across the canvas in a horizontal line: two large, luminous white blooms to the left and center and a smaller, partially turned bud to the right. The view is close and intimate, with a flat dark background that compresses depth and keeps attention on the petals, while amber and golden-ochre accents warm the centers of the blooms.

A soft light from the upper left sculpts the petals in chiaroscuro, and deep, soft-edged shadows let the stems dissolve into a pitch-dark void. The oil paint ranges from thick impasto highlights to thin, blended glazes in the shadows, with a fine canvas weave showing through. The mood is quiet, melancholic and deeply poetic.