Untitled
The Met
Artist: Shibata Zeshin(Japanese, 1807–1891)
Date: late 19th century
Department: Asian Art
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Fan painting mounted as album leaf; tempera on paper
Dimensions: Overall: 13 x 23 5/8 in. (33 x 60 cm) Image: 7 x 20 7/8 in. (17.8 x 53 cm)
Credit Line: Purchase, Gifts, Bequests, and Funds from various donors, by exchange, 1952
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
Five small, black and white birds with long tails on a light fan-shaped surface, gold flecked
Detailed Description
The artwork features a fan-shaped painting mounted on a gold-flecked background, all enclosed within a plain rectangular frame. The fan-shaped paper, light cream in color, occupies the central area of the horizontal composition. On this fan, five small birds are depicted using ink wash, primarily in black, white, and various shades of grey. The birds are clustered towards the right side of the fan. Each bird has a distinct black cap, a white face, and a greyish body with a long, dark tail. Faint, thin lines suggest branches or twigs on which some of the birds appear to be perched. The leftmost bird faces right and looks downwards. Below it, another bird also faces right. In the center of the cluster, a third bird faces right. To the far right, two birds face left, one positioned slightly above the other. A small red seal or signature is visible in the lower right quadrant of the fan, beneath the birds. The background surrounding the fan is a textured gold, appearing as a dense scattering of small gold flecks on a lighter base. A simple, light brown border frames the entire composition.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
