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 3/4 in. (36.2 x 27.3 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 wide-eyed owl perched on a branch, with smaller birds and tree foliage around it
Detailed Description
A vertical composition shows a large owl and several smaller birds on tree branches, depicted in shades of black, gray, and white, with the owl's eyes being a distinct yellow. The background is a light, uniform gray. A prominent, light-feathered owl with large, round yellow eyes is positioned slightly below the center, perched on a thick, dark tree branch that extends diagonally from the lower left to the upper right. The owl faces left, its beak slightly open, and its body is detailed with numerous feathers. Its talons firmly grip the branch. Above and to the right of the owl, a smaller bird with a dark head and lighter body is perched on a thinner branch, looking downwards. To the left of the owl, another small, brown and white bird with a striped back is depicted in mid-flight, appearing to approach the owl with its claws extended. A third small bird is partially visible clinging upside down to the underside of the main branch. The tree branches are rendered with bold, dark brushstrokes, and sparse foliage, including some long, drooping clusters, hangs from the upper branches. In the lower left corner, there is a calligraphic inscription in black ink, followed by a red square seal.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
