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…
White Elephant and Other Beasts is a pair of six-fold painted screens, also known as byōbu, attributed to Itō Jakuchū (伊藤 若冲). The pair of screens depicts a variety of local, exotic, and mythical creatures. One of the pair is dedicated to depictions…
Although not native to Japan, peacocks were popular motifs in Buddhist art. They were associated with prosperity and culture as well as the Buddhist Peacock King, Mahamayuri. They were considered Chinese birds. Peonies shared these noble reputations,…
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 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…
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…