Willow and Magpie

A dark magpie with a pale belly perches on a thin, bending branch that slopes down toward the lower right. Faint ink willow fronds fill the upper left, while the rest of the pale, stained paper stays open and quiet.

Look closer: Faint vertical ink strokes of falling willow threads hang below the branch near the lower center.

Artist

Fachang Muqi

Date

mid-1200s

Medium

hanging scroll; ink on paper

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Size

1734 × 3400 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund