Waxbills

Two black-and-yellow songbirds perch on a gray, gnarled plum branch with pale pink blossoms, a peony at lower right. The birds have yellow bills and cream bellies, and the pale paper background is left open. Calligraphy in the upper right gives a seasonal phrase and the maker's place, Suzhou.

Look closer: Small pink plum buds scattered along the branch at the lower right edge.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1700–1750

Medium

Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

2711 × 3400 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund