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| Chinese | 四君子 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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InChinese art, theFour Gentlemen orFour Noble Ones (Chinese:四君子;pinyin:Sì Jūnzǐ), is a collective term referring to four plants: theplum blossom, theorchid, thebamboo, and thechrysanthemum.[1][2] The term compares the four plants toConfucianjunzi, or "gentlemen". They are commonly depicted inbird-and-flower paintings, a broad category of classical Chinese art, and they are particularly popular subjects forink wash painting.
The Four Gentlemen are a recurring theme in art because of their long history as symbols oftraditional 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), 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 theSong dynasty (960–1279) since the publication ofMixtures Pharmacopeia akaHeji Jufang and were later adoptedelsewhere 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 theDuke Wu of Qin (697 to 678 BC) from theZhou Dynasty.[citation needed]
The Four Gentlemen (Korean:사군자; romaja:Sagunja), also translated as the Four Gracious Plants, were depicted inceladon pottery from theGoryeo period (918–1392).[3] As tastes changed within theJoseon period (1392–1897) andblue and white porcelains dominated the royal households, the level of the artistry of depictions inceramics approached the level of refinement found inink-wash paintings.
The Four Gentlemen were also frequently used in patterns onmother-of-pearllacquerware, iron bowls,calligraphy boards,pencil cases, andstone crafts such asinkstones andbraziers.[4] Within Korean folk painting (Chinese:百童子圖; Korean:Baekdongjado):
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