Momoyama and Edo Period Items
Title
Momoyama and Edo Period Items
Subject
written and painted evidence of the phoenix's composite nature, the influence of natural history on Edo phoenixes, and the resultant naturalism
Collection Items
Old Pine Tree and White Phoenix
Old Pine Tree and White Phoenix depicts a white phoenix perched on a pine tree entwined with morning glory vines. Above the phoenix a grey sparrow is perched in the pine tree. The composition of the painting is asymmetrical with no vanishing point.…
Pair of Phoenixes and Rising Sun
Pair of Phoenixes and Rising Sun is not a painting in the Colorful Realm of Living Beings set. Painted right before the Colorful Realm, Pair of Phoenixes and Rising Sun has a setting that is much more ornate and detailed than later paintings…
Phoenixes
This painting depicts a pair of phoenixes perched in a maple tree. The birds are brightly colored, with pink, blue, and green plumage. In a unique expression of texture, they have thick, furry manes down their backs to their wings. There are no…
Old Pine Tree and White Rooster and Hen
One of the many chicken and rooster paintings from the "Colorful Realm of Living Beings" set, this painting depicts a white rooster and hen high in a pine tree beneath a red sun. Itō Jakuchū was an avid chicken painter, the fowl becoming primary…
Plum Blossoms and Cranes
Five white cranes with red crests rest in front of a blooming plum tree. This painting garnered attention for the complex web of crane legs at the base of the painting. The maze makes it difficult to ascertain which pair is attached to which bird.…
Golden Pheasants and Snow
Two pheasants, one male and one female, perch in a snow-covered pine tree surrounded by out-of-season peony blossoms. Itō Jakuchū used the snow to make "windows" that surround some of the delicate peony blossoms. Jakuchū depicted the snow using two…
Peacock, Hen and Peonies
A peacock and hen stand on a rocky crag with pink and white Chinese peonies. This composition unites several symbols for royalty, culture, and ceremony. The peacock was associated with high culture and Chinese-ness. Peonies were associated also with…
Standing Screens of Flowers and Birds of Four Seasons
This is one set of six-fold standing screens from a pair. The original pair was used to depict the flora and fauna symbols attributed with the four seasons. Kano Eitoku used paints, ink, and gold leaf to depict peonies, paulownias, bamboo, a pair of…
The Identification of the Chinese Phoenix
This article is available at jstor.org:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25220576
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25220576