Artwork

明/清 佚名 梅竹圖 冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo

明/清   佚名   梅竹圖   冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo, ink, 1622
明/清   佚名   梅竹圖   冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo, ink, 1622

明/清 佚名 梅竹圖 冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo is an ink painting. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This album leaf, titled "Flowering Plum and Bamboo," dates from the Ming or Qing dynasty and is attributed to an anonymous artist.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The depiction serves as a focused study of these resilient species, which are historically associated with endurance and integrity in East Asian culture.

Created in 1622 by an anonymous artist, this album leaf depicts flowering plum branches alongside bamboo. The composition focuses strictly on these two botanical elements, rendered in ink and color on silk. In the context of Chinese painting, the combination of plum blossoms and bamboo carries deep symbolic weight, though the provided records specifically confirm the visual presence of Bambusoideae and flowers.

The work represents a traditional genre scene where these specific plants are the sole subjects, highlighting their natural forms without additional landscape features. The depiction serves as a focused study of these resilient species, which are historically associated with endurance and integrity in East Asian culture.

Technique & Style

Executed as an album leaf, this painting employs ink and color applied to a silk support, a traditional combination in Chinese painting that allowed for delicate tonal modulation and fine linear definition. The square format, with dimensions of 26.7 by 27.9 centimeters, suits the intimate scale of an album leaf, designed for close, contemplative viewing rather than large-scale display. The work belongs to the landscape genre while specifically depicting flowering plum and bamboo, subjects that typically demand controlled brushwork to render blossoms, branches, and foliage with both calligraphic precision and naturalistic sensitivity.

The use of color alongside monochrome ink suggests layered washes and possibly lighter pigment accents to differentiate the plum blossoms against the bamboo leaves. No further details regarding handling, condition, or specific stylistic attribution are documented in the available sources.

History & Provenance

The work titled Flowering Plum and Bamboo is dated to 1622 based on catalogue records. It is an anonymous Chinese painting executed in ink and color on silk as an album leaf, depicting plum blossoms and bamboo stalks. The artwork originates from China and was produced by an unidentified painter of the early Qing period.

Its creation history is thus situated in the early 17th‑century Chinese artistic tradition. The piece entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which currently holds it in its Paintings department; no earlier owners are recorded, and no documentation of a specific commission survives.

The album leaf Flowering Plum and Bamboo is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as recorded in its institutional and Wikidata entries. The work is classified within the museum's paintings holdings and catalogued as a Chinese album leaf executed in ink and color on silk. No accession number, loan history, or details of past exhibitions are documented in the available records, and no prior ownership or chain of custody before its entry into the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection is specified.

Context

The anonymous album leaf titled Flowering Plum and Bamboo, dated 1622, exemplifies Ming‑Qing literati tendencies toward spontaneous naturalistic depiction. As recorded in the work’s catalog entry, the piece belongs to the landscape genre and portrays bamboo and plum blossoms on silk, reflecting the era’s fascination with botanical subjects. Its inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection underscores scholarly interest in anonymous painters who contributed to the development of Chinese ink painting and the album leaf format.

Researchers view the work as a representative example of early 17th‑century Chinese artistic practice, situating it within the broader context of anonymous masterworks that influenced later decorative and scholarly traditions.

Overview

This album leaf, titled "Flowering Plum and Bamboo," dates from the Ming or Qing dynasty and is attributed to an anonymous artist. Executed with ink and color on silk, the painting presents a composition of delicate flowers and bamboo stalks. The artwork exemplifies a traditional approach to botanical subjects, characteristic of Chinese painting during this historical period.

清   佚名   蜂舞花叢   册頁|Flowers and Bees
清 佚名 蜂舞花叢 册頁|Flowers and Bees

Artist & collection

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see 明/清 佚名 梅竹圖 冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo?

明/清 佚名 梅竹圖 冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 明/清 佚名 梅竹圖 冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo?

明/清 佚名 梅竹圖 冊頁|Flowering Plum and Bamboo is associated with Baroque.