Framed and Dated Modern Chinese Bird and Flower Lithograph. Depicts two Mandarin ducks swimming near vibrant lotus flowers. Red seal in print bottom right. A lined border all around the image is broken at bottom left by the date 2002, and at bottom right by a signature in cursive. 

Overall Size: 35 x 41 in. 

Sight Size: 20 1/2 x 20 3/4 in. 

Bird-and-flower painting, called Huaniaohua in Chinese, is considered one of the treasures of ancient Chinese culture and demonstrates aspects of Confucianism through its dedication to simplicity, nature, and commitment to form and ideals. The huaniaohua originated in the Tang Dynasty as simple watercolors, gaining popularity and maturing into standardized forms by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and fully reached its peak during the Song Dynasty in a myriad of mediums and sizes. Most huaniaohua paintings belonged to the scholar-artist style of Chinese painting, and in the following centuries the genre spread throughout the Eastern Asian cultural sphere, as well as having an influence on Iranian painting in the golomorgh genre of illustration for book covers and illuminated manuscripts. Today, the original tradition continues while frequently absorbing new styles and movements into the ancient themes, demonstrating the longevity of the beloved subject matter. 

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