Peafowl and Phoenixes

Peafowl and Phoenixes

孔雀鳳凰図屏風

late 1500s

Part of a set. See all set records

attributed to Tosa Mitsuyoshi

(Japanese, 1539-1613)

Japan, Momoyama Period

(1573-1615)

Pair of six-panel screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper

Overall: 173.1 x 374.4 cm (68 1/8 x 147 3/8 in.); Overall: 175.9 x 377.2 cm (69 1/4 x 148 1/2 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1986.2

Location

not on view

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Description

Phoenixes are fantastical birds said to inhabit paulownia trees and eat bamboo, and to celebrate virtuous rulers. Peafowl are birds that amuse themselves in the lake of the Buddha Amida’s Pure Land, a paradise where many once hoped to find themselves after death. Both birds appeared on Japanese textiles or paintings in the 1500s and 1600s, used in official ceremonies centered around emperors.

See also
Collection: 
ASIAN - Folding screen
Department: 
Japanese Art
Type of artwork: 
Painting
Medium: 
Pair of six-panel screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper
Credit line: 
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund

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