Bird on a bamboo branch
17th century
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1904.367
Tags
About this artwork
To 1904
Art Historical Context
Kano Tan'yu (1602–1674) was one of the most influential painters of Japan’s Edo period, serving as the official artist to the Tokugawa shogunate. As the leading figure of the Kano school, he helped shape the refined, elegant style that defined official and aristocratic art for generations. His works often drew on classical Chinese themes while incorporating a distinctly Japanese sensitivity to nature’s quiet beauty. “Bird on a Bamboo Branch,” created in the 17th century, exemplifies this tradition. The subject of a solitary bird perched on bamboo carries rich cultural resonance: bamboo symbol...