Peacocks and Peonies

Tani Bunchō Japanese

Not on view

This pair of peacocks with peonies represents wealth and worldly power. The heroic posture of the peacock suggests it may have been an official commission from an influential samurai patron. Bunchō learned various Chinese painting styles when in the service of Matsudaira Sadanobu (1758–1829). Bunchō borrowed the pictorial vocabulary of birds and flowers from such painters as Sō Shiseki (1712–1786), who had studied the Chinese treatment of these subjects in Nagasaki.

Peacocks and Peonies, Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763–1840), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan

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Peacocks and Peonies, Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763–1840), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan
Peacocks and Peonies, Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763–1840), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan

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