Cleveland Museum of Art

Plums, Bamboo, and Orchid

Yamamoto Baiitsu

Date

1834

Medium

hanging scroll; ink on silk

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting represents three of the plants known as the Four Gentlemen of Chinese painting; it lacks only autumn’s chrysanthemum. The plants’ characteristics are symbols of Confucian virtues, such as open-mindedness (bamboo), strength in the face of adversity (plum), and humility (orchid).

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