Untitled
The Met
Artist: Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Date: ca. 1887
Department: Asian Art
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 14 1/4 x 10 5/8 in. (36.2 x 27 cm)
Credit Line: 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
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
Two dark birds on a gnarled branch with drooping leaves, rendered in monochrome ink
Detailed Description
The artwork is a monochrome ink wash painting depicting two birds perched on a gnarled tree branch against a plain, light grey background. The composition is vertically oriented, with the tree branch dominating the right side of the frame, extending from the top right corner downwards and curving towards the bottom right. The branch is rendered with varying shades of dark grey and black ink, creating a textured, aged appearance. Numerous long, slender leaves droop gracefully from the upper and lower sections of the branch, painted with delicate, thin brushstrokes. Two dark-feathered birds are positioned on a thick part of the branch in the upper center of the painting. The upper bird is more prominent, facing towards the upper left with its head slightly raised, its small dark eye visible. Its body is depicted with layered dark grey and black ink, suggesting plumage. The second bird is positioned below and slightly in front of the first, partially obscured by the upper bird's body and the branch. It faces downwards and to the left, with its head and part of its back visible, also rendered in dark grey tones. In the lower right corner, there is a vertical inscription of dark characters, followed by a red square seal containing more characters. The background is a uniform, light grey, providing a subtle contrast to the detailed ink work of the foreground elements.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
