Artwork
明 佚名（舊傳宋徽宗） 荔枝圖 冊頁|Bird on a Lychee Branch
明 佚名（舊傳宋徽宗） 荔枝圖 冊頁|Bird on a Lychee Branch is an ink painting by the Song dynasty painting artist Emperor Huizong. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bird on a Lychee Branch is a Ming dynasty painting, rendered in ink and color on silk, originally a fan leaf now mounted as an album page.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1506, this album leaf presents a naturalistic scene focusing on the interaction between the avian subject and the botanical element.
The artwork depicts a bird perched upon a branch of the Litchi chinensis, bearing the fruit's distinctive textured skin. Created in 1506, this album leaf presents a naturalistic scene focusing on the interaction between the avian subject and the botanical element. While the piece was historically attributed to the Song Emperor Huizong, current scholarship identifies the creator as an anonymous painter from the Ming dynasty.
The composition centers on the specific representation of the lychee and the bird, adhering to the genre of detailed observation common in Chinese bird-and-flower painting traditions of the period.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in ink and polychrome on silk, with the original fan leaf later mounted as an album leaf; its dimensions measure approximately 23.5 cm in height by 24.4 cm in width. Created in China around 1506, the piece belongs to the bird-and-flower painting genre and depicts a bird perched on a lychee branch, a motif associated with Song-dynasty bird-and-fruit imagery. The brushwork displays fine, controlled lines for the bird's feathers and a subtle wash of color for the fruit, while the silk support contributes a smooth, slightly translucent surface that enhances the delicate handling of pigment.
The composition balances negative space with the foliage, reflecting a refined, understated formal style typical of courtly painting traditions.
History & Provenance
The painting, traditionally attributed to Song-dynasty Emperor Huizong but now considered the work of an anonymous Ming-period artist, is dated to 1506. It is executed in ink and color on silk as a fan mounted as an album leaf, and was made in China. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded as part of the institution's Chinese paintings holdings. No earlier ownership history, prior collecting institutions, or commission details are documented in the available sources.
Overview
Bird on a Lychee Branch is a Ming dynasty painting, rendered in ink and color on silk, originally a fan leaf now mounted as an album page. This work, by an anonymous artist, captures a small bird perched amidst a cluster of ripe lychee fruit and leaves. Though once traditionally attributed to the Song Emperor Huizong, it is now recognized as a product of the 16th century.
Context
Paintings featuring fruit, such as this depiction of lychees, often elevated common subjects into objects of aesthetic contemplation within Chinese art. Artists frequently explored the subtle beauty of nature's bounty, transforming everyday food items into compositions that celebrated form, color, and texture. Such works invited viewers to appreciate the quiet elegance found in the natural world.
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.
