Pheasant Caught by a Snake
ca. 1887
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
14 1/4 x 10 7/8 in. (36.2 x 27.6 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
14.76.61.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late Meiji period1868–1912), as Japan rapidly modernized under Western influences, artist Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831–1889) remained a vibrant champion of traditional Japanese painting. Known for his exuberant, satirical style blending ukiyo-eblock traditions with bold ink brushwork and whimsical humor, Kyōsai often depicted animals with anthropomorphic flair. *Pheasant Caught by Snake* (ca. 1887), an intimate album leaf in ink and color on silk14¼ × 10⅞ in.), captures this mastery. The delicate silk surface allows for luminous colors and fluid lines, typical of personal albums exchanged amon...
About the Artist
Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎 (Japanese) · 1831 –1889
Japanese, 1831–1889