前程似锦A Future Bright as Brocade (plum blossom)

An old plum branch slants in from the upper left, dotted with red blossoms washed in rouge, some open, some still in bud; near its tip two small birds perch shoulder to shoulder. Below, a garden rock is rubbed in with pale ink and green. On it stands a pair of golden pheasants: the speckled brown female rests on top, while the male, golden-crested and red-breasted, leans head-down over the edge with his long tail raised behind him. Beneath the rock, crimson and pink peonies open full, shaded layer by layer among leaves of mineral green and dark ink, and a second spray of plum reaches in from the left.

The title on the right, dated autumn 2026, reads “A Future Bright as Brocade.” Jin, brocade, is also the jin of jinji, the golden pheasant; with the peonies of wealth and the plum that heralds spring, it wishes for a bright road ahead. Other paintings of this title in the collection have different compositions.

红梅老干自左上斜出，枝头繁花以胭脂点染，或开或苞；梢头小鸟一双并肩而栖，似相依絮语。中部湖石一方，淡墨淡绿轻擦，石上锦鸡一对：雌者褐羽斑斑，伏于石顶；雄者金冠朱胸，长尾高扬，俯身探首而下，羽色绚烂。石下牡丹盛开，大红、粉红相间，花头丰腴，层层分染，叶以石绿、墨青写出；左侧另有红梅一枝横出，与上方老梅呼应。

右侧题“前程似锦”，署丙午秋月。锦鸡之“锦”即锦绣之“锦”，牡丹寓富贵，梅为报春之花，合而祝前路光明、功业有成。本站另有同题之作，构图各异。