Artwork Page for Insects and Bamboo

Details / Information for Insects and Bamboo

Insects and Bamboo

竹蟲圖

1200s

China, Southern Song dynasty

(1127–1279)
Medium
Album leaf; ink and light color on silk
Measurements
Image: 23.8 x 25.6 cm (9 3/8 x 10 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith 1985.364
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This painting represents a microcosm (a world in small) of the Jiangnan ecosystem: while the bush cricket feeds on bamboo, the male widow-skimmer dragonfly is a predator of small insects like mosquitos. Mosquitoes, abundant in late summer and early autumn, suggest the fall season.
A square silk painting in ink and light color depicts bamboo and insects. Muted green leaves and thin stalks cluster in the lower left, with a branch extending toward the right. In the upper right, a winged insect with black and white markings flies toward the center. Two faint insects hover in the upper left, while a small red seal is stamped in the lower right corner against the tan background.

Insects and Bamboo

1200s

China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)

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