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 bird perched on thorny branches above a frog, with leaves and red berries
Detailed Description
The artwork is a vertical ink wash painting on a light gray background, framed by a thin gold border. A small bird, rendered in shades of gray and black, is perched on a thorny branch in the upper center, facing downwards and slightly to the left. Its feathers are detailed with fine brushstrokes, showing lighter tones on its belly and darker markings on its back and wings. Its beak is pointed towards the lower part of the image. Below the bird, a network of dark, gnarled branches with sharp thorns extends across the composition. Several clusters of dark gray leaves are interspersed among the branches. Small, round, reddish-orange berries appear in clusters on some of the branches, particularly on the right side and lower left. Further down and slightly to the right of the center, a light-colored frog is depicted clinging to a branch, its body elongated and its limbs splayed. Its skin appears textured, and it has prominent eyes. The frog is positioned below the bird, seemingly looking upwards or towards the left. In the upper right corner, vertical black calligraphic text is visible. The overall palette is dominated by grays and blacks, with subtle touches of red for the berries, against a pale, unadorned background.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
