Plum Blossoms and Solitary BirdPien Wen-chin (act. ca. 1403-1428)Ming Dynasty Pien Wen-chin was named Ching-chao but used his style name Wen-chin as his personal name. He was a native of Sha-hsien, Fukien province, though his ancestral home was in Lung-hsi, Kansu province. He was the most famous bird-and-flower painter at the early Ming court, and his paintings are truly exquisite. During the Yung-lo period (1403-1424), Pien Wen-chin served in the Crafts Institute of the Ministry of Works, and then became a Painter-in-Attendance in the Ching-shen Hall. During the Hsüan-te period (1426-1435), he was appointed Painter-in-Attendance in the Wu-ying Hall. A twisted branch of white plum blossoms in full bloom stretches across the composition. A yellow-browed bunting perched on the plum branch cranes its neck. Pien Wen-chin captured not only the lifelike appearance but also the spirit of the bird. In terms of subject matter, composition, and coloration, this fan painting is reminiscent of the evocative qualities of Southern Sung court paintings. The brushwork in the plum branch is very similar to that in The Three Friends and One Hundred Birds also by Pien Wen-chin, and this painting also bears the signature “Ching-chao.”
Pien Wen-chin, style name Ching-chao, was a native of Sha County, Fukien. He was summoned to the capital during the Yung-lo era (1403-1424), where he served as a Painter-in-Attendance in the Wu-ying Hall. During the reign of the Hsüan-te Emperor (r. 1426-1435), he served in the Inner Court. He was an accomplished poet, and in the arts he excelled at flower and bird painting. He was considered the finest of the Ming Dynasty academy artists prior to Lü Chi (fl. ca. 1477-1497), who, along with many later artists, was greatly influenced by Pien. A yellow-throated bunting lifts its head in song as it perches on a branch of plum blossoms. The artist has communicated both the bird’s soft plumage and the tree’s weathered stiffness with convincing realism. The inkwork here is at least equal to the brush techniques of the Sung dynasty masters. The seal on this round fan, which has been mounted as an album leaf, bears the two slightly smudged characters “Ching-chao,” the artist’s style name.