Bird on a Flowering Branch

A small bird with a gray head, dark wings and a rust-orange breast perches on a thin branch dotted with white plum blossoms and buds. The branch sweeps diagonally across the ochre silk, and a red seal sits in the upper left corner. The restrained palette and open space give the scene a quiet, delicate balance.

Look closer: A red seal stamp in the upper left corner and a second small seal along the right edge.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1100s

Medium

album leaf mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

3400 × 3352 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith