Joy of the Four Seasons

This is a court painting in Ming dynasty. It depicts an outing of the emperor, a theme that a lot of existing paintings are about, such as Emperor Xianzong Enjoying the Lantern Festival (National Museum of China, Beijing), The Xuande Emperor on an Outing (Palace Museum, Beijing). This painting was exhibited in the exhibition of Ming: 50 years that changed China (2014, British Museum).
In this scroll, you can see the imperial members travel around and appreciate flowers in different seasons, like peonies in spring, red lotus flowers in summer, golden chrysanthemums in autumn and blooming plums in winter. You can find out that the Emperor, dressed in robe embroidered with golden dragons and wearing a normal black hat, appears up to five times in the painting. Pine trees play important roles in different parts. At the beginning, the Emperor sits in a cottage under a pair of pine trees, watching a litter girl play on the swing. Then, when he appreciates peony blooming in spring, the pavilion he stays in is surrounded by old pine trees. Different colors of pine trees imply the change of seasons. In later winter, both the palace and pine trees are totally covered with snow, and the Emperor takes on his heavy coat and a mink hat. The scenery is magnificent, filled with peace and joy.