Nine Scenes from The Tale of Genji and An Aviary (Genji monogatari zu byōbu; Toriya zu byōbu)
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.On this unusual pair of screens, nine scenes from The Tale of Genji (Chapters 1, 14, 3, 28, 13, 22, 10, 46, and 40) are matched with a depiction of a life-size aviary, rare in the history of Japanese painting. The aviary’s relationship to Genji was perhaps general in nature, evoking the opulence of the Rokujō estate and its extensive waterways, implied by the structure’s waterside location and elaborate interior pond for the birds. One of its walls appears to be made of bamboo, rendered in gold, while the open front bears fine diagonal lines representing the netting of the cage. The birds include wild mallard ducks (kamo), mandarin ducks (oshidori), sparrows (suzume), the Japanese tit (shijūkara), longtail birds (onaga), quail (uzura), and turtledoves (yamabato).
Artwork Details
- 源氏物語図屛風・鳥屋図屏風
- Title: Nine Scenes from The Tale of Genji and An Aviary (Genji monogatari zu byōbu; Toriya zu byōbu)
- Artist: Tosa School
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: early 17th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on paper
- Dimensions: Overall with frame: 41 3/4 in. × 9 ft. 2 1/2 in. (106 × 280.7 cm)
Image: 36 5/8 in. × 8 ft. 10 3/4 in. (93 × 271.1 cm) - Classification: Screens
- Credit Line: Lent by The Asian Art Museum, Gift and Purchase From The Harry G.C. Packard Collection Charitable Trust in honor of Dr. Shujiro Shimada; The Avery Brundage Collection.
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art