Artwork
南宋 佚名 蘆鷺圖 團扇|Egrets in Water Reeds

南宋 佚名 蘆鷺圖 團扇|Egrets in Water Reeds is an ink painting. It dates from 1185 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This anonymous Southern Song dynasty painting, titled Egrets in Water Reeds, is rendered in ink and color on silk.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a natural scene featuring birds and plants, specifically identified as egrets situated among water reeds.
The work depicts a natural scene featuring birds and plants, specifically identified as egrets situated among water reeds. As a Song dynasty painting, the composition captures these avian subjects within their vegetative habitat. While the specific symbolic interpretation is not detailed in the available records, the inclusion of egrets and reeds aligns with traditional Chinese artistic motifs often associated with nature and seasonal cycles.
Technique & Style
Created in 1185 by an anonymous artist, this work is executed in ink and color on silk. Although originally designed as a round fan, the painting has been mounted as an album leaf for preservation and display. The composition depicts birds among water reeds, characteristic of Southern Song dynasty aesthetics.
The surviving sheet measures 25.2 cm in height and 26.2 cm in width. The use of ink and color on a silk support allows for the delicate rendering of the natural subjects, combining precise botanical and ornithological details within a compact format.
History & Provenance
Egrets in Water Reeds is a fan mounted as an album leaf, created in 1185 during the Southern Song dynasty in China by an anonymous painter. Executed in ink and color on silk, it measures 25.2 cm in height and 26.2 cm in width and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No accession number or exhibition history is recorded in the available sources.
Context
The painting, dated 1185 and executed in ink and color on silk, belongs to the Southern Song period and exemplifies the bird-and-plant motif. It was created anonymously in China and later mounted as a fan attached to an album leaf. The work portrays egrets among reeds, a subject that aligns with the bird-and-plant theme recorded for the piece.
Held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting reflects the tradition of anonymous masters shaping Chinese bird-and-flower painting and influencing later avian depictions in East Asian art.
Overview
This anonymous Southern Song dynasty painting, titled Egrets in Water Reeds, is rendered in ink and color on silk. Originally a circular fan, it has since been mounted as an album leaf. The composition captures a subtle natural scene, characteristic of the period's artistic sensibilities, depicting egrets partially concealed amidst dense water reeds. Its delicate execution and enduring vibrancy offer insight into the refined aesthetic of its time.
Artist & collection










