Birds Pursued by an Eagle

Japan

Not on view

An avian drama plays out near the water’s edge as a dark-colored eagle pursues a white swan, and this sudden disturbance in the sky creates a commotion among the smaller creatures, including black myna birds and a duck. Modeled after a Chinese painting of the Ming era (1368–1644), when this particular subject was popular, the unknown artist of this painting most likely followed the example of one of Japan’s favorite Chinese artists—perhaps Ling Liang (act. 15th century)—using dark, broadly applied ink to cursorily define the rocks and introduce the agitated movements of the animals. The early-summer hibiscus offers viewers a respite in this scene of struggle.

Birds Pursued by an Eagle, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.