Flowers, butterflies and other insects

A horizontal ink-and-color painting on dark olive silk shows pale and dark butterflies and moths drifting among slender flowers and grasses. Small insects and blossoms are scattered across the muted ground, with a pale border along the top and bottom edges.

Artist

Formerly attributed to Cui Bai (active mid- to late 11th century)

Date

1368-1644

Medium

Ink and color on silk

Source

Smithsonian (National Museum of Asian Art)

Size

4000 × 2225 px

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