Wen Zhengming, Wintry Trees

Wintry Trees is a hanging scroll produced by Wen Zhengming at a time of personal loss. Craig Clunas explains some of its classic features and explores the work’s unusual inscription which raises as many questions as it answers.

Nothing is known about the first owner of Wintry Trees except his name and that he spent time with Wen Zhengming shortly after his bereavement. Was this mysterious visitor offering sincere condolences or was his gift-giving merely an attempt to exploit a culture of reciprocity?

Title Wintry Trees
Artist(s) Wen Zhengming
Dates 1543
Places Asia / East Asia / China
Period, Culture, Style Ming dynasty
Artwork Type Painting / Scroll painting / Calligraphy
Material Ink, Paper
Technique

Cite this page as: HENI Talks, "Wen Zhengming, Wintry Trees," in Smarthistory, April 23, 2021, accessed April 25, 2025, https://smarthistory.org/wen-zhengming-wintry-trees/.