Two Pheasants on a Rock
While at first glance this picture of pheasants and a distant landscape looks like a painting, it is actually silk tapestry (kesi). Beginning in the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) and continuing into the late Qing, faithful reproductions of paintings were made in kesi. By contrast, tapestry-woven silks with decorative patterns were produced for clothing and furnishings. By the nineteenth century, kesipictures show a change in technique: large areas are tapestry-woven in a single color and then details painted in. Here, for example, the river is a single area with painted waves and ripples. (From China, 1800–1900 A.D.)
Artwork Details
- Title: Two Pheasants on a Rock
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: 19th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Silk and metal thread tapestry (kesi) with ink and color
- Dimensions: Overall: 38 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (97.8 x 62.2 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Tapestries
- Credit Line: John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1913
- Object Number: 13.220.101
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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