Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ducks

Kusumi Morikage

Date

17th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ducks, which begin arriving in late fall and populate creeks and ponds throughout the Japanese islands through the cold winter, have long been a favorite subject of Japanese poets and painters. Since they remain on the water even as ice forms around them and frost forms on their colorful feathers, they often serve as a metaphor for sleeping alone or remaining faithful to one’s partner when away from home. In this painting, Kusumi Morikage shows a pair of mated ducks in a creek at night with a poem above. Asia

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