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Birds in a lotus pond

ca. 1690
Not on view
Focusing on a narrow band of the natural world, Birds in a Lotus Pond, datable stylistically to about 1690, shows the artist boldly experimenting with the highly absorbent medium of satin to create a daring composition of saturated ink lines and dots starkly set against a blank background. The scroll opens with the daringly abstract form of a torn lotus leaf that is precariously suspended from its bent stalk, which extends leftward above a cluster of half-hidden blossoms. The black leaf stands in contrast to a stark white boulder, defined only by its ink outline. Two fluffy chicks perch atop this boulder, apparently oblivious to their surroundings. On the shore beyond crouch two mynahs, their glances directed upward toward a final lotus leaf that looms above them. Balanced on the back of the second mynah is another tiny chick, its beak open in song or hunger.

The birds appear to personify the interaction of dark and light that animates the entire composition; the human-like expressions with which Bada has imbued them adds an unsettling quality to the already enigmatic composition.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 清 八大山人（朱耷） 蓮塘戲禽圖 卷
  • Title: Birds in a lotus pond
  • Artist: Bada Shanren (Zhu Da) (Chinese, 1626–1705)
  • Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
  • Date: ca. 1690
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Handscroll; ink on satin
  • Dimensions: 10 3/4 x 80 3/4 in. (27.3 x 205.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
  • Object Number: 1989.363.135
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

Cover Image for 7366. Birds in a Lotus Pond

7366. Birds in a Lotus Pond

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