Gu Qian

Plums and Daffodils (from a Combined Version of the Four Elegant Plants) Gu Qian

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.