彩绘喜鹊登梅Painted Basin: Magpies on the Plum

A painted object. The vessel is a white oval basin; the picture is painted on its floor, and the plain rim frames it like a natural oval mount. On it an old plum branch twists up from the bottom in dark ink, dotted with red blossom open and in bud, and on it a pair of magpies perch facing each other, black-backed and white-bellied with long trailing tails, exchanging glances.

The basin has no title; this one describes the picture. Magpies on the plum: “joy up to the brows”, good things at the door.

此为彩绘器物。器形为白色椭圆盆，画面绘于盆底，四周盆沿留白，如一方天然的椭圆画框。盆底绘老梅一枝，自下而上曲折伸展，枝干浓墨写出，红梅点点，或开或苞；枝头喜鹊一双相对而栖，墨背白腹，长尾垂落，顾盼生情。

此盆未题画名，题目依画意拟定。喜鹊登梅，寓喜上眉梢、好事临门。