Birds and Chrysanthemums in Snow, first half 16th century
Geiaiexpand_more
Ink and color on silkexpand_more
Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Cultureexpand_more 2013.29.4
Not on Viewexpand_more
A pair of small birds have alighted on the branch of an old tree at the water’s edge. A dusting of snow—delicately painted using gofun, a white pigment made of ground oyster shells—has fallen on the tree and a clump of blooming chrysanthemums below. This painting was almost certainly once part of a larger set depicting birds and flowers of various seasons. The season represented here is early winter, when chrysanthemums remain in bloom even as the snow begins to fall.
The artist Geiai is a bit of a mystery, but his known body of work reveals fluency in several different styles of Chinese painting introduced to Japan in the 1300s and 1400s. The unique composition (with most motifs clustered at left), heavy contour lines, and distinctive texturing of rocks suggest that Geiai took as his model a painting by a member of the Zhe school, a group of painters that flourished in China’s Zhejiang region during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
Details
- Title
- Birds and Chrysanthemums in Snow
- Artist Life
- act. first half 16th cent.
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.29.4
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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