Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
The Parrot “King” and Bird “Courtiers” on Plum and Rose Branches
Nagasawa Rosetsu Japanese
Not on view
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.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
