A flower-and-bird scene fill this Chinese scroll painting, and it settles into a space the moment it goes up. Painters spent centuries on this theme and never exhausted it; this scroll shows why. You'll notice redstart, bamboo and plum blossom woven through the composition, giving the eye somewhere to wander.
Classic silk ground here — smooth, matte, and gentle with the palette. Like much classical Chinese art, it carries a wish inside the image — plum blossom opens in the cold, the emblem of perseverance. The coloring is mineral reds, clean whites and lively, varied color, in the mineral-pigment manner that ages gracefully. Spring runs through the whole piece: tender new growth, birds returning, branches in blossom. No frame required; the classic silk mounting is the finished presentation.
For collectors of the flower-and-bird genre, this is a scroll that settles in without fuss. If you collect flower and bird pieces, this one earns its place. It is a fine example of redstart and bamboo Chinese painting, the kind of piece that grows on you.
