Flowers, birds, and insects
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1909.230
Tags
Charles Lang Freer collectionChinaChinese ArtMing dynasty (1368 - 1644)birdflowerinsect
About this artwork
Bamboo and a variety of flowers, including squash flowers, daisies, camellias, and dandelions, grow in a natural setting. Butterflies, bees, and beetles appear throughout the scroll. A warbler and a pair of finches cling to the flower and berry braches searching for small insects. This well-composed and executed painting, which is based on a Sung work, bears a spurious signature of Ch'ien Hsuan (c. 1235-1300).