Wu Ping (twelfth century)

Original: Ink and colors on silk, 25.4 x 26.5 cm

Leaf 17 of the album: Collected Works of Sung and Yuan Masters

A bird is perched amidst two red, ripened pomegranates, one of which has already split open, spilling forth pink seeds.

Wu Ping, a native of P'i-ling (Wu-chin), Kiangsu, held the position of tai- chao in the Shao-hsing Painting Academy. He excelled at painting bird and flower subjects, especially when depicting one or two isolated branches. Wu Ping's paintings, executed in a highly refined and elegant style, and are said to grasp the true essence of nature. The artist's exact dates are not known.