The Parrot “King” and Bird “Courtiers” on Plum and Rose Branches
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The remarkable independence and innovation that is evident throughout Rosetsu’s oeuvre is reflected in this masterful painting of birds, a subject at which he excelled. Thirty-three different birds, all native to Japan, have roosted in the branches of a flowering plum tree, while the red parrot, perched high up and alone above the hubbub of the conventional locals, observes them with regal detachment. Parrots were not native to Japan, but were imported from China through Nagasaki, the only port allowed to receive regular trade during the Edo period. They were bred and displayed as rare and exotic objects.
The painting is pressed with two square intaglio seals, “Chō Gyo” and “Hyōkei”; it is signed “Rosetsu sha” (Painted by Rosetsu). The form of the signature suggests that this is a work of the 1790s.
The painting is pressed with two square intaglio seals, “Chō Gyo” and “Hyōkei”; it is signed “Rosetsu sha” (Painted by Rosetsu). The form of the signature suggests that this is a work of the 1790s.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Parrot “King” and Bird “Courtiers” on Plum and Rose Branches
- Artist: Nagasawa Rosetsu (Japanese, 1754–1799)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1795–99
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 57 1/16 × 21 11/16 in. (144.9 × 55.1 cm)
Overall with mounting: 95 1/4 × 27 1/2 in. (242 × 69.8 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art