Pair of Cranes and Other Birds in a Garden

Suitable for a holiday display, this painting is rich with motifs of an auspicious nature that symbolize prosperity, nobility, and longevity. A pair of cranes and long-tailed pheasants both symbolize long life in Daoism. They are surrounded by a plum tree (mei), camellia flowers (chahua), and bamboo (zhu), all set against a backdrop of rocks and a stream. The trio of pine, bamboo, and plum are the “three friends of the cold season”; they represent the imminent arrival of springtime, too. Blooming in the cold months, the plum and camellia blossoms herald renewal and prosperity. The crane and the plum motifs also allude to the Northern Song recluse-poet Lin Bu (967–1028), who was known for planting plum trees and raising pet cranes. He even likened the plum blossoms to his wife and saw the cranes as his children.