Artwork
ムクドリ図|Starlings on a Branch
ムクドリ図|Starlings 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. Created circa 1887, Starlings on a Branch is a small album leaf executed on silk with ink and color.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1887 by Kawanabe Kyōsai, the painting focuses on the naturalistic representation of the bird, which serves as the sole subject of the album leaf.
The work depicts a starling perched on a branch, executed as a still-life composition in ink and color on silk. Created in 1887 by Kawanabe Kyōsai, the painting focuses on the naturalistic representation of the bird, which serves as the sole subject of the album leaf. While the image captures the specific anatomy and posture of the starling, the available documentation does not provide further details regarding specific symbolic meanings, iconographic codes, or deeper allegorical interpretations associated with this particular depiction.
Technique & Style
Created in 1887 by Kawanabe Kyōsai, this work is an album leaf executed in ink and color on a silk support. The painting measures 36.2 cm in height and 26.7 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece functions as a still life, focusing its composition on the depiction of birds perched upon a branch.
The application of both ink and pigment on the delicate silk surface demonstrates the artist's command of traditional Japanese painting materials within a small-scale format.
History & Provenance
The album leaf Starlings on a Branch was painted by Kawanabe Kyōsai in 1887. The work is executed in ink and color on silk and measures 36.2 cm in height by 26.7 cm in width. It depicts a still-life composition featuring birds, specifically starlings, rendered in the artist’s characteristic expressive style.
The painting is recorded as part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently located.
The album leaf titled Starlings on a Branch is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created by Kawanabe Kyōsai in 1887, the work is part of the museum's holdings of Japanese paintings. The provided sources identify the institution as the current location but do not list a specific accession or inventory number for this piece. Additionally, the available documentation does not record any exhibition history for this artwork.
Overview
Created circa 1887, Starlings on a Branch is a small album leaf executed on silk with ink and color. The composition shows six starlings perched on a bent twig, their bodies rendered in swift, dark brushwork that emphasizes movement and texture. The work belongs to the Japanese nihonga tradition and is signed by Kawanabe Kyōsai, a noted painter and caricaturist of the late nineteenth century.
Context
The work emerges from a period when Japan was rapidly modernizing after the Meiji Restoration, absorbing Western influences while reaffirming native artistic practices. Within this climate, nihonga artists like Kyōsai sought to preserve Japanese materials and techniques, yet many, including Kyōsai, introduced a looser aesthetic that hinted at contemporary, even satirical, sensibilities.
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".
