L screen: gnarled, twisting pine tree at L, with branches extending across multiple panels; rocks at L; hawk at lower center attacking a small goose, its talons digging into the goose's face, mouth, and neck; hawk is lifting bird out of water

Hawks by a Stream [left of a pair], mid 17th century

expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

Birds of prey became a favorite subject of members of Japan’s warrior class beginning in the 1400s and 1500s. When applied to large-scale paintings like folding screens, such images, which express notions such as military prowess, power, and valor, made for a particularly impressive backdrop for warriors’ receptions rooms. Soga Nichokuan, like his father, Soga Chokuan (Nichokuan literally means “the second Chokuan”), specialized in images of birds, especially hawks and other birds of prey, whose textured feathers they described using a meticulous layering of various tones of ink wash. The hawks of Nichokuan and his father owe a great deal to older Chinese and Japanese paintings . But Nichokuan, particularly in late works like this one, placed these more conservative birds into surreal landscapes of knobby, wildly twisting trees, jagged boulders, and sometimes bizarre water features.

Details
Title
Hawks by a Stream [left of a pair]
Artist Life
active c. 1620 - 1660
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2013.31.46.1
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.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

L screen: gnarled, twisting pine tree at L, with branches extending across multiple panels; rocks at L; hawk at lower center attacking a small goose, its talons digging into the goose's face, mouth, and neck; hawk is lifting bird out of water