Plum And Two Cranes

In Shen Quan’s second handscroll Pine, Plum and Two Cranes, it is also clearly evident that it is an auspicious painting. The painting consists of a mated pair of cranes once again, but this time, we see some form of interaction between the crane and its environment. The crane nearer to the bottom of the painting has its back dipped downwards, as if it is about to quench its thirst with the stream water. Right behind the same crane, there is a plant that is likely the Chinese Wolfberry. The red berries hang precariously on the branches of the plant as if at any time, it is ready to fall off the branches and flow down the stream, spreading immortality to others. In contrast to the previous piece, Pine, Plum and Two Cranes has a pine tree and plum blossom instead of a peach tree.
Pine is an “important symbol of longevity because it is an evergreen and lives for a long time” (Bartholomew). Plums are “emblematic of perseverance and purity” and “as the first to bloom each year, the plum represents renewal and heralds spring” (Bartholomew). “Its significance as a longevity symbol rests also on the fact that its name in Chinese is homophonous with “eyebrows”; a long and bushy eyebrow is considered a symbol of longevity in China”(Bartholomew). Finally, “the five petals of its blossoms make the plum a very auspicious plant because five is a sacred number in China” (Bartholomew). With the plums, pine, and cranes, this painting consists of the motifs of