Loading
A Hundred Birds and the Three Friends
Bian Wenjin (Chinese, about 1354-1428)1400-1425
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
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.
Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
Details
- Title: A Hundred Birds and the Three Friends
- Creator: Bian Wenjin (Chinese, about 1354-1428)
- Date Created: 1400-1425
- Physical Dimensions: Painting: 153.5 x 95.4 cm (60 7/16 x 37 9/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 245 x 110 cm (96 7/16 x 43 5/16 in.)
- Provenance: (Kozo Yabumoto 藪本公三, Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1980.12
- Medium: hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
- Original Title: 三友百禽圖
- Inscriptions: Artist's three seals: Pien yin Ching-chao; Sha-yang shih-chia; Ch'in shu ch'ing-lo.
- Department: Chinese Art
- Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Credit Line: Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
- Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
- Accession Number: 1980.12
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
