Artwork Page for A Pair of Peafowl

Details / Information for A Pair of Peafowl

A Pair of Peafowl

孔雀竹石圖

late 1400s-early 1500s

Lin Liang 林良

(Chinese, 1416–1480)
Culture
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Medium
hanging scroll, ink on silk
Measurements
Painting: 160 x 106 cm (63 x 41 3/4 in.); Overall with knobs: 256.5 x 133.3 cm (101 x 52 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Collection 1964.242
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

The peacock, identified by the flamboyant tail, is paired with a female peahen to its right. In lowering her head, the hen seems to show respect to the male peacock.

With his articulate brushstrokes and strong contrasting tones, Lin Liang’s representation in black ink appears as vivid as Yin Hong’s colorful peacock (1974.31). The painter skillfully uses wet and dry ink as well as broad and thin washes to represent the plumage of the bird. The surface of the rocks, depicted in powerful sweeping strokes, recalls the landscape painting style of the Zhe School, which specialized in expressive brushwork.
A vertically oriented hanging scroll on tan silk depicts a peacock and peahen among bamboo. The peacock stands centrally with elaborate, vertically rising tail feathers, looking down toward a peahen resting on a rocky outcrop to the right. Muted gray and black ink tones define the birds and foliage. Slender bamboo stalks frame the scene. Chinese calligraphy marks the upper left, while decorative blue geometric borders trim the top and bottom.

A Pair of Peafowl

late 1400s-early 1500s

Lin Liang

(Chinese, 1416–1480)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

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