Artwork Page for Birds Gather under the Spring Willow

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Birds Gather under the Spring Willow

春柳聚禽圖

late 1400s-early 1500

Yin Hong 殷宏

(Chinese, c. 1430-c. 1500)
Culture
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Medium
hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Measurements
Painting: 240 x 195.5 cm (94 1/2 x 76 15/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 280 x 204 cm (110 1/4 x 80 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1974.31
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The peahen is plucking a dandelion.

Description

This scroll depicts a spring scene with all kinds of birds, including one peacock with a hen among peonies. The painting is one of four surviving works by Yin Hong bearing his signature and seals. Some scholars debate whether this work depicts the theme “One Hundred Birds admiring the Phoenix,” a metaphor for human society presenting an idealized hierarchy under imperial rule; other scholars argue that peafowls, as exotic birds not native to China, would not be depicted to represent the emperor.

This large painting might have been hung in a palace hall and may have been part of a set depicting the four seasons.
A hanging scroll depicts a variety of birds scattered among foliage and flowers, a willow tree curving in on the upper right, with fine strands speckled with leaves drooping down over the scene. A peacock crouches in the center, looking down at a peahen plucking a dandelion. The flowers are frilly and brighter than the surrounding muted greens and browns. More birds fly and perch on the tree.

Birds Gather under the Spring Willow

late 1400s-early 1500

Yin Hong

(Chinese, c. 1430-c. 1500)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

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