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Handscroll; Color on silk; 464cm(width)*22cm(height) This scroll was produced a total of four times. In the first iteration, the plum, orchid, bamboo, and daffodil were wrought by Qian Gu, giving it the name Four Elegant Plants. The plum tree in the center has vibrant branches covered in blossoms, and to the right of the tree is a solitary stone. The daffodil and bamboo emerge from behind the stone. The composition is rigorous, the brushwork exquisite, and the elegance of the literati tradition expansive and compelling. After the work was complete, it was added to the collection of the Qing court. Companions Zhang Qia and Hua Guan added sequels that included the portrait of an old man in a red robe, an image reflecting the concept of ""I am before the flower, and the flower is before me."" The last iteration of the painting was an expression of Qian's work, inheriting the meaning of the Four Elegant Plants, but changing the images to wax plum, camellia, sea bilberry, and pine. The ink is clear and decorative. The four plants (symbols of nobility) and the peony (representing wealth) are brought together in this scroll, perhaps implying the impermanence of life.

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9781487801915

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Qian Gu (b. 1508), known by the aliases Shubao and Xuan Qingshi, was a Ming Dynasty painter from Wu County (present day Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). He was orphaned in his youth and did not receive an education, so only began his studies in later years. He eventually made his way to Wen Zhengming's door and studied painting under his tutelage, where he excelled at landscape painting. He was also skilled at figure painting and bamboo, and his style was simple and straightforward. Throughout his life, he maintained a strong interest in Wuzhong literature, collecting tens of thousands of ancient stone inscriptions and scrolls.

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