Minneapolis Institute of Art

Owl and Crested Mynas on a Plum Branch

Japan

Date

16th century

Medium

Folding fan, mounted as hanging scroll, ink on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The combination of an owl with flocks of either crested mynas or crows, both loud and rowdy birds, appear on several ink paintings beginning in the 16th century. In this painting, five raucous crested mynas (a type of starling native to China) surround a stoic owl intent on resting on a blossoming plum branch. The vertical creases in the painting surface indicate that it was originally painted as a folding fan, and, given its appearance, it must have been a beloved, heavily used fan. After the fan had served its utilitarian purpose, its owner had the painted paper removed from the bamboo ribs of the fan and remounted as a hanging scroll for interior decoration. Japan, Asia

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