A Pair of Peafowl
late 1400s-early 1500s
Medium
hanging scroll, ink on silk
Dimensions
painting: 160 × 106 cm · overall with knobs: 256.5 × 133.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Collection
Accession Number
1964.242
Tags
About this artwork
The peacock, identified by the flamboyant tail, is paired with a female peahen to its right. In lowering her head, the hen seems to show respect to the male peacock. With his articulate brushstrokes and strong contrasting tones, Lin Liang’s representation in black ink appears as vivid as Yin Hong’s colorful peacock (1974.31). The painter skillfully uses wet and dry ink as well as broad and thin washes to represent the plumage of the bird. The surface of the rocks, depicted in powerful sweeping s...