Owl on a Pine Branch

early 17th century

Not on view

A solitary owl, alert and eyes wide open, is perched on the bough of an aged pine. Behind it a full moon, rendered in reserve, signals that the setting is evening. The owl, with its head turned slightly, stares directly at the viewer, creating an effect that is at once startling and humorous. Painted entirely in ink, the texture of feathers is effectively conveyed through layered brushwork in various tones.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Owl on a Pine Branch
Artist: Soga Nichokuan (Japanese, active mid-17th century)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 17th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions: Image: 45 3/16 x 20 3/16 in. (114.8 x 51.2 cm)
Overall with mounting: 81 5/16 x 21 1/8 in. (206.5 x 53.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 22 13/16 in. (58 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Fishbein-Bender Collection, Gift of T. Richard Fishbein and Estelle P. Bender, 2012
Object Number: 2012.522.1
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Soga Nichokuan

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Hawks, Soga Nichokuan Japanese, Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper, Japan — Hawks
Soga Nichokuan
mid-17th century

Daoist Sage and Hawk, Soga Nichokuan Japanese, Pair of fan-shaped paintings mounted on two-panel folding screen; ink on paper, Japan — Daoist Sage and Hawk
Soga Nichokuan
mid-17th century

Jizō Bosatsu Playing a Flute, Kano Tan'yū Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan — Jizō Bosatsu Playing a Flute
Kano Tan'yū
mid-17th century

Beauty of the Kanbun Era, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper, Japan — Beauty of the Kanbun Era
Japan
late 17th century

White Plum Blossoms and Moon, Itō Jakuchū Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan — White Plum Blossoms and Moon
Itō Jakuchū
1755

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