The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Birds and Flowers

Birds and Flowers

mid-1400s–early 1500s

attributed to Sesshū Tōyō

(Japanese, 1420–1506)
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Hanging scroll from a triptych; ink and color on silk
Image: 55.9 x 53.4 cm (22 x 21 in.); Overall: 117 x 58 cm (46 1/16 x 22 13/16 in.)
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1964.157.2
Location: not on view

Description

This is one of two paintings possibly by Sesshū Tōyō. They once flanked a central scroll with an ink landscape. The unbalanced nature of the compositions, however, suggests they may be images recycled from larger paintings. The one with sweet osmanthus and hibiscus is an autumn scene, the other is a summer scene with daylilies and gardenias. Folding screens often contrast two seasons or depict all four across a single pair of screens. Sesshū’s works were sufficiently prized that repurposing them in fragmentary form to display in an alcove of a luxurious room would not be an unusual choice.
  • ?-1964
    Mrs. A. Dean Perry [Helen Wade Greene Perry] [1911-1996], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1964-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 24-October 11, 2020).
    Admired from Afar: Masterworks of Japanese Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, Japan (January 15-February 23, 2014); Kyushu National Museum, Fukuoka, Japan (July 8-August 31, 2014).
    Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer). Tokyo National Museum (1/15/2014 - 2/23/2014) and Kyushu National Museum (7/8/2014 - 8/31/2014): "Admired from Afar: Masterworks of Japanese Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art", cat. no. 25, p. 81.
    Main Asian Rotation (G121); October 26, 2003 - March 12, 2004.
    Sesshu, Master of Ink and Brush: 500th Anniversary Exhibition. Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan (March 12-April 7, 2002); Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, Japan (organizer) (April 23-May 19, 2002).
    Kyoto National Museum (3/12/2002-4/7/2002) and Tokyo National Museum (4/23/2003-5/19/2002): "Sesshu -- Master of Ink and Brush" exh. cat. 101, p. 155.
  • {{cite web|title=Birds and Flowers|url=false|author=Sesshū Tōyō|year=mid-1400s–early 1500s|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.157.2