Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Peacock and Peonies
Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙 Japanese
Not on view
A peacock with fanning tail feathers glances over its shoulder. The inscribed date, 1768, indicates that Ōkyo painted this work when he was only 36, a time when the artist was able to immerse himself both in the study of ancient paintings and in sketching plants and animals from life. Numerous albums filled with these drawings remain today.
The result of these studies can be seen here in the incredibly careful brushwork used to apply the brilliant colors of the peacock’s feathers, the pale blue colors of the Chinese-style rocks, and the delicate hues of the peonies. Ōkyo has produced a stunning decorative image without particular concern for spatial depth. Perfecting shasei (drawing from nature) remained a lifelong pursuit for the artist.
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