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 1/2 in. (36.2 x 26.7 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
A white egret with an open beak stands behind a dark bird preening in tall grass
Detailed Description
Two birds are depicted amidst tall grasses, set against a light, muted background. A prominent white egret stands slightly right of center, facing left with its long neck extended and beak open, revealing a dark interior. Its body is rendered in white with subtle grey shading on its back and wings, suggesting feather texture. In front of and to the left of the egret, a smaller, dark-feathered bird is hunched over, preening its feathers. Its head is turned downwards and to the right, and its plumage is depicted in varying shades of dark grey and black, with hints of brown on its head and neck. Both birds are surrounded by numerous stalks of tall, slender grass, rendered in shades of grey and black ink, filling the lower half of the composition and extending upwards around the birds. The grass has feathery tops. In the upper left background, a soft, light orange, rounded shape is visible behind the egret, possibly a distant landform or celestial body. The rest of the background is a uniform light grey. In the upper right corner, vertical lines of dark script are visible, followed by a red square seal.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
