清 佚名 山禽海棠 扇|Flowers with Birds

Art Historical Context

This delicate fan painting titled *Flowers with Birds*, was created an unidentified Chinese artist during Ming (13681644) or Qing (1644–1). Rendered in ink and color on, the work depicts birds perched among flowering branches—likely crabapple or begonia, as suggested by its Chinese title. Originally a functional folding fan, it has been preserved as an album leaf, a common practice that allowed such portable artworks to be enjoyed in collections long after their practical use faded. In Chinese art traditions, bird-and-flower subjects like this one celebrated the harmony of nature and often ca...