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Birds in wintry trees
Formerly attributed to Li Di (active late 12th-early 13th century)
16th-17th century
- Medium
- Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink and color on silk
- Classification
- Paintings
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 195.1 x 97.5 cm (76 13/16 x 38 3/8 in)
- Culture
- Chinese
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
The philosopher Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.) once observed that pine and cypress are the last trees to wither in winter. Consequently, these two hardy evergreens became parallel symbols of longevity in traditional China, representing the virtuous gentleman who endures adversity with fortitude.
