Artwork
Five-colored parakeet on a blossoming apricot tree
Five-colored parakeet on a blossoming apricot tree is an unspecified painting by the Song dynasty painting artist Emperor Huizong. It dates from 1110 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Technique & Style
The bird's plumage displays five distinct hues, while the delicate apricot flowers are layered with subtle gradations of pink and white.
The work is a silk painting depicting a vivid parakeet amid blossoming apricot branches rendered in mineral pigments. The bird's plumage displays five distinct hues, while the delicate apricot flowers are layered with subtle gradations of pink and white. Brushwork combines fine linear outlines with soft washes to suggest texture on the silk support, creating a harmonious balance between figural detail and decorative patterning.
The composition emphasizes spatial depth through overlapping foliage and a gently receding background, reflecting Song dynasty court aesthetics of refined naturalism.
History & Provenance
The Five-colored parakeet on a blossoming apricot tree is dated to 1110 and attributed to Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty. The painting entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it is now housed; earlier ownership or commission details are not recorded in the available sources. It is classified as animal art and measures 533 by 1251 units. Its creation is situated within Huizong’s court painting activity, reflecting his interest in naturalistic bird-and-flower subjects.
The painting is held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it is recorded with the accession number 17.2662.
It was included in the exhibition “Painting in the Song Dynasty” held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1974, as documented in the accompanying catalogue.
Overview
Created in 1110, this modestly sized painting by Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty portrays a single, vividly colored parakeet perched amid the delicate blossoms of an apricot tree. The composition is set against a warm, unadorned brown ground, punctuated only by the artist’s red seals in the corners, giving the work a restrained yet intimate atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a bright green and red parakeet, rendered with meticulous attention to its sleek feathers and pointed beak. It rests on a bare branch that supports clusters of pale, almost white apricot blossoms, suggesting the fleeting beauty of spring and the harmony between fauna and flora in traditional Chinese symbolism.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Emperor Huizong (1082-1135) was the eighth emperor of the Song dynasty of China, reigning from 1100 to 1126, and one of the most accomplished artist-rulers in Chinese history.
