Birds and Flowers

花鳥図屏風

late 1500s

and Kano Shōei 狩野松栄

(Japanese, 1519–1592)

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Culture

Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615)

Medium

Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on paper

Measurements

Image: 155.5 x 340 cm (61 1/4 x 133 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of William G. Mather 1948.128

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

The inscriptions on these screens are not signatures of the artist, but instead an attribution to the painter Kano Eitoku (1543–1590) by his youngest brother, Kano Naganobu (1577–1654).

Description

The landscape depicted in this pair of screens follows a seasonal progression from right to left, starting with the blossoming plum of early spring and ending with late autumn peonies. A variety of smaller birds are positioned throughout the scene, and a trio of swimming ducks is bracketed by early summer irises and early autumn bellflowers at the center. While some raptors (birds of prey) terrorize a pheasant and an egret (a waterfowl) to the right, a peacock and peahen converse to the left. Hawks are associated with military prowess, while the peafowl suggest cultural prestige.