Birds Flying over Waves, Edo-period Japanese painting

Four dark grey birds in flight drift across a pale, mottled beige ground above a band of dark teal waves swirled with pale gold-edged spirals. The square paper panel shows worn texture and faint gold accents, in the manner of a Japanese shikishi card.

Artist

Attributed to Hon'ami Koetsu 本阿弥光悦 (1558-1637)

Date

1615-1868

Medium

Color, ink, and gold on paper

Source

Smithsonian (National Museum of Asian Art)

Size

2229 × 2240 px

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