Monkey Hanging on to a Branch

Colors in this work

Artist: Mori Sosen (Japanese, 1747–1821)
Date: 1780
Medium: hanging scroll; color on paper
Dimensions: overall: height 0.686 m, width 0.257 m
Origin: Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Department: Japanese Art
Holding institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Palette: Aged Vellum · Yellow family · #D9C29E · 56%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #AD967B · 16%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #958067 · 11%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #BDA689 · 5%

Aged Vellum · Yellow family · #E7CEAA · 4%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #C9AF8E · 3%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #A5805B · 2%

Pine Needle · Green family · #434E3D · 2%

Vine Charcoal · Gray family · #524237 · <1%

Olive Ground · Yellow family · #6E7055 · <1%

Flax Ground · Yellow family · #BFB58F · <1%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #986C5D · <1%

Etching Plate Gray · Gray family · #404B4F · <1%

Parchment Ochre · Yellow family · #B8AA97 · <1%

Limestone Honey · Yellow family · #D5BA8B · <1%

Laurel Cloth · Green family · #5D6F5C · <1%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #BC9081 · <1%

Raw Sienna Bank · Brown family · #D8B6A3 · <1%

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Image provider: cleveland-museum-of-art
License: CC0-1.0
Credit: Gift of Mrs. John A. Hadden

10 tags

Animals Both · 99%

The image clearly depicts a single monkey, and the catalog title identifies the work as “Monkey Hanging on to a Branch.”
Animal Portrait Visual · 82%

One prominently isolated monkey is rendered with close attention to facial features, fur, anatomy, and pose, supporting an animal-portrait reading.

Sparse Visual · 99%

Most of the narrow scroll remains unpainted, leaving extensive open paper around the localized branches and monkey.
Asymmetrical Visual · 96%

The monkey and branching forms are positioned off-center, with the composition developing through uneven diagonal movements rather than bilateral balance.
Earth Tones Visual · 96%

The image is dominated by subdued gray, beige, brown, and muted green tones.

Hanging Scroll Both · 99%

The work is visibly presented in a vertical scroll format, and the catalog specifies “hanging scroll; color on paper.”
Painting Both · 99%

Visible brushwork and pigment on a paper ground correspond to the catalog classification of Painting and its medium, color on paper.

Japanese Art Metadata · 99%

The catalog identifies Japan as the place of origin and classifies the work within Japanese Art.

Use of Paper Both · 99%

The catalog explicitly identifies paper as the support, which is also visible as the broad light-colored ground of the image.

Mori Sosen (Japanese, 1747–1821). Monkey Hanging on to a Branch. Cleveland Museum of Art.