2-722-218 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

A Prunus in the Moonlight, 1300s. This magnificent plum tree under the full moon is a masterwork of powerful brushwork and composition. The artist’s sweeping brushstrokes left traces of so-called flying-white (feibai) on the branches that, together with the delicately rendered white plum blossoms, appear as reflections of the bright moonlight.The large dimensions of the scroll suggest that it was originally hung in the great hall of a stately home, perhaps during the spring festival. Plum blossoms that bloom in early spring and resist the harsh frosts symbolize endurance in adverse times.