明　佚名　(傳)馬麟　雪梅圖　團扇|Snow Plum

Art Historical Context

This delicate album leaf, titled *Snow Plum*, captures the quiet beauty of plum blossoms emerging through a dusting of snow. Created in ink on silk and measuring just under ten inches across, the work likely originated as a round fan (*tuanshan*), a portable format popular in Chinese painting for its intimate scale. Though attributed to the Song-dynasty master Ma Lin, the painting is now credited to an unidentified artist, reflecting the challenges of attribution in early Chinese art. The Song dynasty (960–1279) marked a golden age for flower-and-bird painting, when artists explored the expressive potential of monochrome ink to convey seasonal atmosphere and emotional resonance. Plum blossoms, blooming in late winter, became enduring symbols of resilience and renewal, admired by scholars and poets alike. The album-leaf format encouraged close, personal viewing, inviting viewers to appreciate the subtle gradations of ink that suggest both the fragility of petals and the crispness of frost. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1947 from the collection of A. W. Bahr, this small yet evocative work continues to highlight the refined aesthetic of Song-dynasty China and the enduring cultural significance of the plum as a harbinger of spring.