Chrysanthemums and Pine Tree

Object Details

• Artist

  Wen Zhengming 文徵明 (1470-1559)

• Label

  A grove, bordered by pine trees, overflows with masses of chrysanthemum and young bamboo. Individually, chrysanthemum is associated with vigor, pine trees with longevity, and bamboo with resilience. But as a symbolic pair, images of pine trees and chrysanthemums often allude to Tao Yuanming's (365-427) famous poem "Returning Home." After serving in government for little more than eighty days, Tao realized it was a disastrous mismatch and resigned, returning home. The painter Wen Zhengming, a Ming dynasty master known for his evocative landscapes, likewise once served in the government but spurned that life to return home. His painting of chrysanthemums and a pine tree alludes to Tao's poem and suggests the moral superiority of a life lived in seclusion:

  Return home!

  My fields and garden will be covered with weeds;

  . . .

  The three paths have become overgrown,

  But pines and chrysanthemums remain.

  Translation from A. R. Davis, Tao Yuan-ming (AD 365-427): His Works and Their Meaning, 2 vols. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983).

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Plum Blossoms, Chrysanthemums, and Bamboo (July 30 to December 4, 2011)

  Beyond Brushwork: Symbolism in Chinese Painting (April 29 to November 26, 2006)

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

  Chinese Flower Paintings (March 18 to September 22, 1983)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting, East Corridor (November 10, 1955 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting, Gallery 2, 1955 (April 11, 1955 to November 10, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 1947 (January 7, 1947 to April 11, 1955)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1540s

• Name

  Wen, Zhengming

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Trees, Pine tree, Art, Chrysanthemum, Chinese Art, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Bamboo

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Paintings