Bird on a Bamboo Branch

A small songbird perches on a slender bamboo branch at the center-left of a long vertical hanging scroll. Pale ink washes and dark brushstrokes render the bird and the drooping bamboo leaves, with a red seal and inscription at the lower right against a wide empty field of cream paper.

Artist

Kano Tan'yu 狩野探幽 (1602-1674)

Date

17th century

Medium

Ink on paper

Source

Smithsonian (National Museum of Asian Art)

Size

365 × 1208 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art