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Egrets, Peonies, and Willows

early 19th century
Not on view
A pair of herons pause in shallow water beneath a drooping willow branch and tall stems of flowering plants, painted in the “boneless” manner, with limited ink outline and pale wash. Yamamoto Baiitsu mingled with Kyoto literati circles but also sought varied artistic influences in the work of Chinese painter Shen Nanpin (Shen Quan, 1682–1758), who worked in Japan from 1731 to 1733, and other Chinese artists known in Japan. He transformed what he learned into an idiosyncratic style characterized by a sensuous surface quality and serene clarity. Distinctive to his technique was an inclination to use ink in the same manner in which colors were customarily applied—not only for linear brushwork but also for soft washes. Skillfully combining ink wash with washes of color and well-defined, sinuous contours, he contributed a lyrical, intimate vision of nature to Literati (Nanga) painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 山本梅逸筆 柳鷺図
  • Title: Egrets, Peonies, and Willows
  • Artist: Yamamoto Baiitsu (Japanese, 1783–1856)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: early 19th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; color on silk
  • Dimensions: Image: 57 1/2 × 28 1/4 in. (146.1 × 71.8 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 88 1/2 × 34 1/2 in. (224.8 × 87.6 cm)
    Overall with knobs: 88 1/2 × 37 1/4 in. (224.8 × 94.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.268.109
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Plum Blossoms, Yamamoto Baiitsu Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on silk, Japan
Plum Blossoms
Yamamoto Baiitsu
dated 1851
Peaches, Pomegranate, and Fingered Citron, Yamamoto Baiitsu Japanese, Folding fan; ink and color on paper, Japan
Peaches, Pomegranate, and Fingered Citron
Yamamoto Baiitsu
1832
"Refined Elegance in the Four Seasons" (Shiji seiga), Album of Flower Paintings, Yamamoto Baiitsu Japanese, Album of twelve leaves; ink on paper, Japan
"Refined Elegance in the Four Seasons" (Shiji seiga), Album of Flower Paintings
Yamamoto Baiitsu
1844
Wild Hawk on a Tree, Yamamoto Baiitsu Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on satin, Japan
Wild Hawk on a Tree
Yamamoto Baiitsu
1838
Landscapes of the Four Seasons, Yamamoto Baiitsu Japanese, Set of four hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk, Japan
Landscapes of the Four Seasons
Yamamoto Baiitsu
1848

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