The Three Friends of Winter Artist: Wang Wu (Chinese, 1632–1690)

1676

Asian Art

By appointment, Wurtele Study Center

Pine and bamboo are evergreens, and the plum is among the first plants to flower as winter changes to spring. Known collectively as “the three friends of winter” (called, in the inscription here, “the cold season”), the three plants also serve in poetry, literature, and the visual arts as symbols for steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience—virtues long associated with the scholar class in China.

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink on paper

Dimensions

without mounting: 38 3/8 × 11 1/8 in. (97.47 × 28.2 cm)
with mounting: 90 3/4 × 17 7/8 in. (230.5 × 45.4 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Ch'ung-ho Chang Frankel and Hans H. Frankel in honor of Mary Gardner Neill

Accession Number

1994.25.1

Geography

China

Culture

Chinese

Period

Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Classification

Paintings

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

Nature, botanical, hanging scrolls

Subject

plants

Inscriptions

Wang Wu he yin, Wang Qinzhong, Wang An

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

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