Cleveland Museum of Art

Squirrel on a Pine Branch

Song Tian

Date

1500s

Medium

hanging scroll, ink on paper

Culture

China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting captures a squirrel in action, distracted and twisting its head while climbing and looking at a little bug to the right. The painter skillfully employs a combination of ink washes and fine brushstrokes to simulate the animal’s fur. Only three simple curved lines depict the squirrel’s claws. The subject of squirrels did not appear in Chinese painting before the late Southern Song (1127–1279) and Yuan periods (1279–1368). The painter Songtian was one of the few Yuan painters who specialized in this theme. Although the evergreen pine does not indicate a time of year, the lively activity of the squirrel and the insect suggest a warm season.

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