Birds and Flowers
Kano Shōei (attributed)
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.
Colors in this work
Details
- Date
- late 1500s
- Dimensions
- image: height 1.559 m, width 3.394 m; overall: height 1.685 m, width 3.522 m; closed: height 1.725 m, width 0.61 m, depth 0.113 m; with frame: height 1.717 m, width 3.554 m
- Department
- Japanese Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Gift of William G. Mather
Art Genome Taxonomy
12 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Both · 99%
Birds occupy multiple areas of the composition, including swimming ducks, an egret, smaller perched birds, and birds of prey; these subjects are also identified in the museum description.
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Flora Both · 99%
The screen visibly depicts flowering plants, pine, plum branches, irises, and peony-like blooms, corresponding to the catalog’s seasonal description of the flora.
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Landscapes Both · 99%
Mountains, water, rocky outcrops, trees, and open atmospheric space establish a landscape setting, which the catalog describes as a landscape.
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The Seasons Metadata · 99%
The museum describes a seasonal progression from blossoming plum in early spring to late-autumn peonies, moving across the screen from right to left.
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Conflict Both · 88%
A raptor is visibly engaged with another bird, and the catalog describes raptors terrorizing a pheasant and an egret.
Medium and Techniques
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Painting Metadata · 100%
The work is cataloged as a painting executed with ink, color, and gold on paper.
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East Asian Ink-and-Wash Painting Both · 92%
The image shows brush-drawn forms and atmospheric ink washes, while the catalog identifies the work as Japanese ink-and-color painting on paper.
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Screen Format Metadata · 100%
The object is identified as one of a pair of six-panel folding screens; the supplied image shows one horizontally unfolding screen.
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Work on Paper Metadata · 99%
The support is identified as paper in the catalog medium description.
Time Periods
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16th Century Art Metadata · 98%
The catalog dates the work to the late 1500s, with a date range of 1540–1592.
Geographic Regions
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Japanese Art Metadata · 99%
The place of origin is recorded as Japan, and the work is held in the museum’s Japanese Art department.
Materials
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Gold Both · 98%
The catalog specifies gold as part of the medium, and the image visibly shows a luminous gold-toned ground across the paper panels.
Source & rights
Kano Shōei (Japanese, 1519–1592). Birds and Flowers. Cleveland Museum of Art.
High-resolution sources
- Original TIFF ↗ 8,832 × 4,234 · Cleveland Museum Of Art · Available