A Hundred Birds and the Three Friends
1412
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1412
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A Hundred Birds and the Three Friends is a 1412 unspecified by Bian Jingzhao, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This hanging scroll shows three perfect birds perched in pines, bamboo, and plum blossoms. The birds have soft gray feathers and bright eyes. Their branches weave across ink-washed rocks. Song dynasty artists trained for years to paint birds and blossoms like this. The three plants—pine, bamboo, plum—stand for strength, flexibility, and hope in winter. Bian Wenjin added a splash of red plum to break the green and gray. Look closely—the smallest bird’s feet grip a single pine needle. Check out the Cleveland Museum of Art for this scroll.
In this hanging scroll birds rest and frolic among pines, bamboo, and flowering plum, plants known as “the three friends.” Due to their endurance in winter, they symbolize perseverance and friendship in adverse times. The naturalistic depiction of the birds refers to the bird-and-flower painting tradition of the Art Academy of the Song dynasty. The painter Bian Wenjin served at the court of the Ming dynasty Yongle Emperor (reigned 1402–24). This painting may have been hung in a private studio or palace hall on appropriate occasions.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Bian Jingzhao (simplified Chinese: 边景昭; traditional Chinese: 邊景昭), styled Wenjin (Chinese: 文進), was a famed Chinese painter in the early Ming dynasty.
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