Owl Mocked by Small Birds
ca. 1887
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
14 1/4 x 10 3/4 in. (36.2 x 27.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914
Accession Number
14.76.61.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
In Kawanabe Kyōsai's *Owl Mocked by Birds* (ca. 1887), a majestic owl faces a flurry of cheeky sparrows and other small birds pecking and teasing it mercilessly. This whimsical album leaf, painted in vibrant ink and color on silk captures Kyōsai signature playful satire during Japan's Meiji period (186–1912), a time of rapid Westernization and social upheaval. As a master of ukiyo-e and Kano school traditions, Kyōai infused his works with dynamic brushwork, exaggerated expressions, and anthropomorphic humor, often using animals to poke fun at human follies or power imbalances. The intimate fo...
About the Artist
Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎 (Japanese) · 1831 –1889
Japanese, 1831–1889