Birds and Flowers
Sesshū Tōyō (attributed)
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.
Colors in this work
Details
- Dimensions
- image: height 0.559 m, width 0.534 m; overall: height 1.17 m, width 0.58 m
- Department
- Japanese Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Visual · 99%
A single bird is visibly perched on a branch near the upper center of the composition.
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Flora Both · 99%
Flowering branches, broad leaves, stems, and multiple clusters of blossoms dominate the image; the catalog identifies sweet osmanthus and hibiscus.
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The Seasons Metadata · 97%
The museum description identifies the composition as an autumn scene.
Visual Qualities
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Asymmetrical Both · 96%
The composition is visibly unbalanced, with dense vegetation concentrated across the left and lower areas and more open space toward the upper right; the catalog also describes the compositions as unbalanced.
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Earth Tones Visual · 95%
Brown, olive-green, tan, and muted rose dominate the aged-looking surface.
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Contour Line Visual · 97%
Dark, continuous outlines and angular branch strokes organize the leaves, blossoms, bird, and stems.
Medium and Techniques
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East Asian Ink-and-Wash Painting Both · 98%
Dark brushwork and translucent-looking washes of muted color are visible, while the catalog specifies ink and color on silk.
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Hanging Scroll Metadata · 100%
The catalog identifies the object as a hanging scroll from a triptych.
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 95%
The stated date range begins in the mid-1400s and includes most of the 15th century.
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16th Century Art Metadata · 68%
The stated date range extends into the early 1500s, although only briefly.
Geographic Regions
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Japanese Art Metadata · 100%
The catalog identifies Japan as the place of origin and classifies the work within Japanese Art.
Source & rights
Sesshū Tōyō (Japanese, 1420–1506). Birds and Flowers. Cleveland Museum of Art.
High-resolution sources
- Original TIFF ↗ 7,404 × 5,661 · Cleveland Museum Of Art · Available