Bian Jingzhao
Ming court bird-and-flower master
Bian Jingzhao(边景昭) (before 1356 – after 1436), styled Wenjin(文进), was a Ming dynasty court painter specializing in bird-and-flower paintings. He was originally from Longxi (now Longxi in Gansu), later moving to Sha County in Fujian. He excelled in meticulous bird-and-flower painting, inheriting the traditional court style of the Song dynasty. His works were as famous as those of Lü Ji, and together they were considered representative of the Ming court style. His feathered birds were praised alongside Jiang Zichen(蒋子成)’s figures and Zhao Lian(赵廉)’s tiger paintings as the 'Three Wonders of the Forbidden City(禁中三绝).' During the Yongle period (Yongle 5th year, 1407), he was summoned to the capital and worked at Wuyingdian as an attendant. By the Xuande period, he had risen to positions such as Commander of the Jinyiwei and Grand Scholar of Wenhua Hall. In the first year of Xuande (1426), he was dismissed for accepting bribes. His representative work, the 'Scroll of Three Friends and Hundreds of Birds,' depicts groups of birds against a background of pine, bamboo, and plum. 'Bamboo and Cranes' is now in the Palace Museum in Beijing. 'Bamboo and Dual Cranes with Clear Charm,' created in collaboration with Zhongshu Sheren Wang Fu, is also in the Palace Museum. 'Snow Plum with Twin Cranes' is in the Guangdong Provincial Museum, and 'Spring Flowers and Three Joys' features magpies with bamboo and rocks. His paintings focused on capturing the form and spirit, with strong outlines and subtle use of ink and color. His sons Bian Chufang and Bian Chushan, as well as his son-in-law Zhang Kexin, all followed his style. Because his works were often altered and passed off as Song or Yuan paintings, fewer than 20 authentic pieces survive, making his works extremely rare; historically, this is referred to as the 'Bian Paradox.' The Shanghai Museum holds Bian Jingzhao’s 'Flower, Bamboo, and Gathered Birds' and 'Apricot, Bamboo, and Spring Birds.'