Plum Blossoms in Early Spring， a Yuan Dynasty（1279.1368） painting by Wang Mian， ink on silk， 151.4cm×52.2cm， in the collection of the Palace Museum， Taipei.
Wang Mian（1287.1359） was a painter and poet in the Yuan Dynasty. Reluctant to take official positions， he dwelled in seclusion in Jiuli Mountains in Huiji and made a living on paintings. Wang Mian was skillful at drawing plum blossoms， and once learned from Yang Wujiu， a great plum blossom painter in the Song Dynasty. This work is one of his top-notch paintings in his late years. The old trees with new branches stand upright in the painting， while plum blossoms look like frost and snow. It is vibrant with life.