Artwork
木に鴉図|Crow on a Branch
木に鴉図|Crow on a Branch is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎. It dates from 1887 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 14.76.61.14
- 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
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses entirely on the avian subject, presenting the creature as the central element of the visual narrative.
Created in 1887 by Kawanabe Kyōsai, this album leaf depicts a single bird perched upon a branch. Executed in ink and color on silk, the work is classified within the landscape genre. The composition focuses entirely on the avian subject, presenting the creature as the central element of the visual narrative.
While the specific species is identified generally as a bird in available records, the image serves as a focused study of the animal within a naturalistic setting.
Technique & Style
Painted on a silk support as an album leaf, the work uses ink outlines filled with muted color washes, a technique documented for the artist. The composition belongs to the landscape genre and portrays a bird perched on a branch, rendered with fine line and subtle tonal modulation. Measured at 36.2 cm in height and 27.3 cm in width, the piece exemplifies the landscape genre through its minimalist setting and restrained palette.
History & Provenance
Kawanabe Kyōsai painted Crow on a Branch in 1887 in Japan, producing an ink and color work on silk that measures 36.2 cm by 27.3 cm. The piece was recorded as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection under accession number 14.76.61.14, where it remains on display. Its creation coincides with the artist’s later period, when he frequently depicted avian subjects in landscape compositions. No earlier ownership records or commission details are documented in the available sources, and the work’s provenance is limited to its acquisition by the museum.
Overview
Created circa 1887, Crow on a Branch is an album leaf painted by Kawanabe Kyōsai, a Japanese artist noted for his unconventional approach within the nihonga tradition. Executed with ink and color on silk, the work presents a solitary crow perched on a curved branch against an empty sky, rendered in a swift, spontaneous manner characteristic of Kyōsai’s practice.
Context
Kyōsai’s career spanned a period of rapid modernization in Japan, during which he maintained a commitment to traditional painting methods while infusing his work with personal humor and individuality. Crow on a Branch exemplifies his ability to blend classical technique with a distinctly personal, almost whimsical, visual language.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kawanabe Kyōsai (河鍋 暁斎; May 18, 1831 – April 26, 1889) was a Japanese painter and caricaturist. In the words of art historian Timothy Clark, "an individualist and an independent, perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting".
