Artwork Page for Birds and Flowers

Details / Information for Birds and Flowers

Birds and Flowers

花鳥図屏風

late 1500s

Kano Mitsunobu 狩野光信

(Japanese, 1565–1608)

and Kano Shōei 狩野松栄

(Japanese, 1519–1592)
Image: 155.5 x 340 cm (61 1/4 x 133 7/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

The inscriptions on these screens are not signatures of the artist, but instead an attribution to the painter Kano Eitoku (1543–1590) by his youngest brother, Kano Naganobu (1577–1654).

Description

The landscape depicted in this pair of screens follows a seasonal progression from right to left, starting with the blossoming plum of early spring and ending with late autumn peonies. A variety of smaller birds are positioned throughout the scene, and a trio of swimming ducks is bracketed by early summer irises and early autumn bellflowers at the center. While some raptors (birds of prey) terrorize a pheasant and an egret (a waterfowl) to the right, a peacock and peahen converse to the left. Hawks are associated with military prowess, while the peafowl suggest cultural prestige.
A pair of large, six-panel, horizontally folding screens depicting landscapes of seasonal progressions, including nature and birds. The top scene depicts raptors circling and attacking two other birds. The bottom scene depicts a peacock and a peahen facing each other.

Birds and Flowers

late 1500s

Kano Mitsunobu, Kano Shōei

(Japanese, 1565–1608), (Japanese, 1519–1592)
Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615)

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.