Cleveland Museum of Art

Birds and Flowers

Kano MitsunobuLinkedCulture matchlcp-8727c8980f36

Date: late 1500s
Medium: One of a pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on paper
Culture: Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Department: Japanese Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 125886

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

The landscape depicted in this pair of screens follows a seasonal progression from right to left, starting with the blossoming plum of early spring and ending with late autumn peonies. A variety of smaller birds are positioned throughout the scene, and a trio of swimming ducks is bracketed by early summer irises and early autumn bellflowers at the center. While some raptors (birds of prey) terrorize a pheasant and an egret (a waterfowl) to the right, a peacock and peahen converse to the left. Hawks are associated with military prowess, while the peafowl suggest cultural prestige. As masters of the Kano academic painting style, both Kano Shōei and Kano Mitsunobu favored Chinese-inspired subject matter, such as birds and flowers.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of William G. Mather
Provenance: ?–1948: William G. Mather [1857–1951], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1948–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH