Who painted Four Magpies?

Four Magpies was painted by Bian Jingzhao in 1401.

Where can I see Four Magpies?

Four Magpies is held by National Palace Museum.

Artwork

Four Magpies

Four Magpies is an unspecified painting by Bian Jingzhao. It dates from 1401 and is held in the collection of the National Palace Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1401, *Four Magpies* is a small-scale painting by Bian Jingzhao, an early‑Ming court artist who signed his works under the style name Wenjin. The work exemplifies the period’s refined bird‑and‑flower genre, presenting a quiet natural scene that reflects the painter’s scholarly background and the aesthetic preferences of the early 15th‑century elite.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on four magpies perched along slender plum branches. In Chinese symbolism, magpies often convey good news and auspiciousness, while plum blossoms represent resilience and renewal. Together, the birds and blossoms suggest a wish for prosperity and enduring virtue, themes commonly invoked in literati paintings intended for scholarly audiences.

Technique & Style

Bian employs the meticulous brushwork characteristic of Ming bird‑and‑flower painting, rendering each feather and blossom with fine, controlled strokes.

Bian employs the meticulous brushwork characteristic of Ming bird‑and‑flower painting, rendering each feather and blossom with fine, controlled strokes. The ink is layered with subtle washes of color, creating a delicate contrast between the dark silhouettes of the birds and the pale, almost translucent plum blossoms. This precise rendering underscores the artist’s technical mastery and attention to natural detail.

History & Provenance

Born in Sanming, Fujian, to a family originally from Longxi, Bian Jingzhao was active through the mid‑15th century, serving the imperial workshop. *Four Magpies* has remained within private and institutional collections in China, documented in early Ming catalogues, and continues to be cited as a representative example of the era’s courtly bird‑and‑flower repertoire.

Artist & collection

Artist

Bian Jingzhao

Bian Jingzhao (simplified Chinese: 边景昭; traditional Chinese: 邊景昭), styled Wenjin (Chinese: 文進), was a famed Chinese painter in the early Ming dynasty.