Peacocks and Peonies

1820

Not on view

This pair of peacocks with peonies represents wealth and worldly power. The heroic posture of the peacock suggests it may have been an official commission from an influential samurai patron. Bunchō learned various Chinese painting styles when in the service of Matsudaira Sadanobu (1758–1829). Bunchō borrowed the pictorial vocabulary of birds and flowers from such painters as Sō Shiseki (1712–1786), who had studied the Chinese treatment of these subjects in Nagasaki.

Artwork Details

牡丹に孔雀図
Title: Peacocks and Peonies
Artist: Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763–1840)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: 1820
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: Image: 60 1/4 × 34 3/4 in. (153 × 88.2 cm)
Overall with mounting: 79 15/16 × 41 3/4 in. (203 × 106 cm)
Overall with knobs: 79 15/16 × 46 3/4 in. (203 × 118.8 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914
Object Number: 14.76.51
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup, Tani Bunchō Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan — The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup
Tani Bunchō
1828

River Gorge with Waterfall, Tani Bunchō Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on silk, Japan — River Gorge with Waterfall
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Palace Landscape, Tani Bunchō Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan — Palace Landscape
Tani Bunchō
early 19th century

Collection of Japanese
Paintings, Tani Bunchō Japanese, Eight woodblock printed books; ink and color on paper, Japan — Collection of Japanese Paintings
Tani Bunchō
1809

Landscape with Waterfall, Tani Bunchō Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on silk, Japan — Landscape with Waterfall
Tani Bunchō
1828

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