Four Gentlemen

 ( Chinese Painting ) 

In Chinese art, the Four Gentlemen or Four Noble Ones (), is a collective term referring to four plants: the Prunus mume, the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum. Symbolism in Brush Painting The term compares the four plants to Confucian junzi, or "gentlemen". They are commonly depicted in bird-and-flower paintings, a broad category of classical Chinese art, and they are particularly popular subjects for ink wash painting.

The Four Gentlemen are a recurring theme in art because of their long history as symbols of traditional Chinese virtues, such as uprightness, purity, humility, and perseverance despite harsh conditions. Each of them represent a different season (the plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, and the chrysanthemum for autumn) and the four are used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year.

Together, the Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the Song dynasty (960–1279) since the publication of Mixtures Pharmacopeia aka Heji Jufang and were later adopted elsewhere in East Asia by artists in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. However, their individual meanings have been traced to far earlier times. For example, the first recorded description of bamboo as being a "gentleman" has been credited to the Duke Wu of Qin (697 to 678 BC) from the Zhou dynasty.

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Korean adaptation The Four Gentlemen (), also translated as the Four Gracious Plants, were depicted in celadon pottery from the Goryeo. As tastes changed within the Joseon and blue and white porcelains dominated the royal households, the level of the artistry of depictions in ceramics approached the level of refinement found in ink-wash paintings.

The Four Gentlemen were also frequently used in patterns on mother-of-pearl lacquerware, iron bowls, calligraphy boards, , and such as and . Within Korean folk painting ():

• Prunus mume or mei (Prunus mume) is associated with winter and has come to symbolize fertility, this is perhaps due to an ancient Chinese custom of throwing plums to seek love;
• nancho a native wild orchid is associated with spring has come to symbolize nobility, loyalty and fidelity;
• bamboo is associated with summer and likened to a gentlemen's dignity and service to others; and
• chrysanthemums, especially an elixir made from yellow chrysanthemums, is associated with autumn and believed to lead to longevity.

==Gallery==

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See also

• Three Friends of Winter
• Flowers of the Four Seasons

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External links

• Paintings of the Four Gentlemen at China Online Museum

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