Artwork Page for Birds and Flowers

Details / Information for Birds and Flowers

Birds and Flowers

花鳥図

mid-1400s-early 1500s

attributed to Sesshū Tōyō 雪舟等楊

(Japanese, 1420–1506)
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Culture
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Medium
Hanging scroll from a triptych; ink and color on silk
Measurements
Image: 55.9 x 53.4 cm (22 x 21 in.); Overall: 117 x 58 cm (46 1/16 x 22 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1964.157.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This is one of two paintings possibly by Sesshū Tōyō. They once flanked a central scroll with an ink landscape. The unbalanced nature of the compositions, however, suggests they may be images recycled from larger paintings. The one with sweet osmanthus and hibiscus is an autumn scene, the other is a summer scene with daylilies and gardenias. Folding screens often contrast two seasons or depict all four across a single pair of screens. Sesshū’s works were sufficiently prized that repurposing them in fragmentary form to display in an alcove of a luxurious room would not be an unusual choice.
A painting on tan silk depicts a small brown and tan bird swooping downward with its beak open. Flowering plants with pale white and orange petals and green leaves grow from the lower right, their long stems and thin leaves arching toward the center. Dark, thick stalks crisscross the background above the bird. Fine ink lines and muted colors create a detailed scene of wildlife among dense foliage and delicate blossoms.

Birds and Flowers

mid-1400s-early 1500s

Sesshū Tōyō

(Japanese, 1420–1506)
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)

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