西園方済筆 梅に叭叭鳥図|Mynah Bird on Plum Branch
18th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on paper
Dimensions
36 3/16 x 10 1/2 in. (91.9 x 26.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Accession Number
1975.268.87
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the serene elegance of Edo-period Japan (1615–8), Saien Hōsai's *Mynah Bird on Branch* (18th century) captures a moment of quiet harmony on a hanging scroll of ink on paper. Measuring 36 3/16 x 10 1/2 inches, this work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection depicts a mynah bird perched delicately on a plum branch adorned with budding flowers. The intimate vertical format invites contemplation, a hallmark of hanging scrolls traditionally unrolled for seasonal display in homes or temples. Plum blossoms, enduring the winter cold to bloom first in spring, symbolize resilien...