Wang Qian (Chinese, active mid-15th century), Plum Blossom, 1454. Hanging scroll, Ink on paper, H.44 x W.12 in. Minneapolis Institute of Art, The John R. Van Derlip Fund, 43.5.

Plum blossoms were a favorite motif of flower painters during the Ming period. The plum tree is long-lived—specimens up to a thousand years old are said to be found in many places in China. Their crooked and gnarled branches, young green shoots, and flowers are much admired. The physical toughness of such rugged old plum trees, blooming in wintry desolation, symbolizes the ideal secluded scholar, whose moral toughness makes him resilient. The inscription records the occasion of this careful rendering:

I have recently received gifts of a poem from my distinguished relative Shizhai, chief advisor to the Prime Minister, and I greatly appreciate his kindness. Using the same rhyme, I have taken the occasion to combine a poem with flowers in ink as an expression of our sincere friendship.

There never was found such a flower in the Northland

The wave of a brush, a slanting branch expresses an image of thought.

Pure, clean, exalted and natural, it surpasses all common plants

One fitting to present the family of a retired statesman of the imperial court.

The first day of winter (November 7) in the fifth year of Jingtai, being the cyclical year of jiaxu (1454). Greetings from your humble relative Wang Qian.