Three Friends

Artist Yamamoto Baiitsu (Japanese, 1783–1856)

Date1824

MediumHanging scroll: monochrome ink on satin

DimensionsImage: 46 × 14 3/8 inches (116.8 × 36.5 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Martie and Alice Young

Terms

Paintings
Japanese
Hanging scroll: ink
Bamboo
Chops
Inscriptions
Narcissi
Plants
Plum blossoms
Rock
Seals
Seasons
Spring
Winter
Satin

Object number2001.071

Label CopyThe artist has created his own variation on the "Three Friends of Winter" theme by joining bamboo and plum together with narcissus, instead of the more conventional pine. Bamboo signifies resilience, while plum represents perseverance in the face of hardship. Narcissus, also a symbol of the New Year, is an emblem of good fortune. Baiitsu counts among the most talented of the Japanese bunjin (scholar) painters, who looked to Chinese paintings for inspiration. He specialized in bird and flower painting, and favored brushwork in the "boneless" style. Here he has combined that technique with the use of outlining, especially to define the bamboo.

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