Birds on a PlumTree
Two long-tailed birds look upward as if at something beyond the edge of the picture. The branches of blossoming plum on which they balance are entwined with the flowers and leaves of a red camellia—a combination that represents the spring season. This painting is by Gan Ku, best known for his use of the meticulous and detailed technique typical of the followers of Shen Nanpin (active 1725–80), although he developed a rougher, more energetic approach in his later career. Gan Ku, who held courtly and official governmental positions in the early years of the nineteenth century, founded the Kishi school, which perpetuated his combination of various painting styles of the day.
Artwork Details
- 岸駒筆 梅花小禽図
- Title: Birds on a PlumTree
- Artist: Gan Ku (Japanese, 1749–1838)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: late 1770s–early 1780s
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 41 15/16 × 13 1/2 in. (106.5 × 34.3 cm)
Overall with mounting: 75 5/16 × 20 11/16 in. (191.3 × 52.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.420.29
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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