Birds and Flowers of Early Spring, Ming dynasty (1368–1644) c.1500 (ink & mineral pigments on...

This painting evokes the passage from winter to spring with a combination of camellias and blossoming plum. The rocks, water, trees, blossoms, and birds are treated here as stylized formal elements in a grand design. The birds, little bulbuls and the red-breasted minivet (on the prunus branch), partridges (lower-right foreground), and brown-eared pheasants (on the rock cliff), contribute to the patterned effect and tactile richness of the surface. Beyond its highly decorative qualities, the subject of the painting is also an allusion to imperial allegiance; the pheasants are symbolic of bravery and steadfastness, while the partridges represent the faithful followers of the emperor.