Chinese Black Painted Relief Panels, Set of Four

A set of four black painted panels from China.Each panel shows one of the Four Gentlemen in raised, painted relief: plum blossom, bamboo, orchid and chrysanthemum. First linked to the four seasons, the four plants came to stand for the ideal scholar. Each rises from a vase or pot among smaller "hundred antiques" objects, with a yellow character at the top naming its plant and a yellow painted border with stepped fret corners around the edge.Sold as a set of four.