Flowers and Birds in a Spring Landscape

春花鳥図

1500s

attributed to Kano Motonobu 狩野元信

(Japanese, c. 1476–1559)

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Culture

Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)

Medium

One of a set of sliding door panels mounted as hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper

Measurements

Painting only: 177.1 x 137.1 cm (69 3/4 x 54 in.); Including mounting: 259.1 x 151.1 cm (102 x 59 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1970.6.1

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Location

Not on view

Description

These four paintings originally decorated sliding doors that partitioned the interiors of Japanese buildings. Painters from the Kano school, named after the artist Kano Motonobu (1476–1559), were major forces in the production of screens and architectural interiors in Kyoto. When he headed the workshop, his work was prized by the upper strata of society. Kano is credited with combining the subtlety of Chinese black ink painting, as seen in the rocks and hills, with the color and realism of Japanese painting, seen in the birds and flowers. Landscape scenes like this were prized by the elite of Kyoto, both for their contemplative aesthetic and their patrons’ refined taste.