Pien Wen-chin:
Three Friends and a Hundred Birds
Pien Wen-chin (second half of the fourteenth century to the first half of the fifteenth century), Ching-chao by style name, was a native of Sha-hsien, Fukien province. He was a man of erudition. and was talented in poetry and prose. He especially excelled in bird-and-flower painting, showing a perfect command of the kou-le-t'ien-ts'ai ("outline filled with color") style, which is evaluated as the best of its genre in the periods following the Sung and Yuan dynasties. He is even called the father of Ming dynasty bird-and-flower painting. This work, in which a hundred birds are arranged among the Three Friends (pine, bamboo and plum), denotes the true individuality of Pien Wen-chin in its detailed yet powerful brushwork.

P34 Pien Wen-chin: Three Friends and a Hundred Birds Ming dynasty hanging scroll/ink and color on silk artwork : 152.2 x 78.1cm hanging scroll : 197.0 x 80.1cm 94,000yen