Insects and Bamboo
Unknown Artist
1200s
Medium
Album leaf; ink and light color on silk
Dimensions
23.8 × 25.6 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith
Accession Number
1985.364
About this artwork
This painting represents a microcosm (a world in small) of the Jiangnan ecosystem: while the bush cricket feeds on bamboo, the male widow-skimmer dragonfly is a predator of small insects like mosquitos. Mosquitoes, abundant in late summer and early autumn, suggest the fall season.