Two hawks in a thicket
Never before had there been such hawks as those painted by Lin Liang. Standing like monuments to strength and courage on the highest frozen peaks swept by bitter winds, living in worlds that lesser creatures could not inhabit, Lin's great birds are embodiments of heroism. In contrast to his usual image of hawks silhouetted against the sky and surveying their surroundings from a high perch, however, these noble birds appear withdrawn and reclusive, inviolable and inaccessible, as if lost in a dense forest of old trees and thick bamboo where no one could possibly reach them.
Artwork Details
- 明 林良 二鷹圖 軸
- Title: Two hawks in a thicket
- Artist: Lin Liang (Chinese, ca. 1416–1480)
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: mid- 15th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 58 5/8 x 32 3/4 in. (148.9 x 83.2 cm)
Overall with mounting: 108 1/2 x 39 in. (275.6 x 99.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 108 1/2 x 43 7/8 in. (275.6 x 111.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Bei Shan Tang Foundation, 1993
- Object Number: 1993.385
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
Audio
7339. Two Hawks in a Thicket
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