The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

A Hundred Sparrows in a Lofty Grove

1368–1644

attributed to Lin Liang

(Chinese, 1416–1480)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
handscroll; ink on silk
Overall: 28.6 x 498.2 cm (11 1/4 x 196 1/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1981.4
Location: Not on view

Description

Sparrows engaged in all kinds of activities frolic amid leafy branches, blades of grass, rocks, and a waterfall. As our eyes move over the scroll, the artist engages us in enjoying the sparrows’ carefree movements in a natural setting.

The charming birds were painted from close observation in swift and fluent brushstrokes. Sparrows are a common bird and in Chinese painting they often represent the commoner in human society as opposed to the noble pheasant or peacock representative of the ruling class.
  • ?-1981
    (Luk Kwing Karp, Kowloon, Hong Kong, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1981-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1981.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 69, no. 2 (February 1982): 39–82.
    Published as: One Hundred Birds Reproduced: p. 71; Mentioned: p. 83, no. 127 www.jstor.org
    Little, Stephen. “Chinese Calligraphy.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 9 (November 1987): 372–403. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 393, figs. 26a-26b www.jstor.org
    Laozi, James Legge, translator, and forward by Livia Kohn. Tao Te Ching 道德经. New York: Metro Books, 2008. Reproduced: Fig. 74
  • Layers of Meaning: China’s Flora and Fauna in Painting and on Porcelain. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 2020-June 6, 2021).
    The Year in Review for 1981. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
  • {{cite web|title=A Hundred Sparrows in a Lofty Grove|url=false|author=Lin Liang|year=1368–1644|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1981.4