MEDIA INFORMATION

 
 
 
COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
MIA_.93.5.2
AMICA Library Year:
2000
Object Type:
Paintings
Creator Name:
Unknown
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
Creator Role:
artist
Creator Name-CRT:
artist unknown
Title:
Finch on a Plum Branch
View:
Front
Creation Date:
about 1300
Creation Start Date:
1280
Creation End Date:
1320
Materials and Techniques:
ink and colors on silk
Classification Term:
ink and colors on silk
Dimensions:
H.10 3/4 x W.11 in. (round)
Component Measured:
overall
Measurement Unit:
in
AMICA Contributor:
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Owner Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
ID Number:
93.5.2
Credit Line:
Gift of Joan Wurtele
Rights:
Context:

A finch, intensely focused on a moth, readies to strike its prey. It is perched on a plum branch whose fruit and leaves, like the bird and insect, have been rendered with naturalistic colors and impeccable detail. This style of painting, based on direct observation, is credited to the bird and flower painters of the Northern Sung Academy, especially as it developed under the leadership of emperor Hui Tsung (r. 1100-1125). These artists' small fan and album paintings demonstrate a balance of form, description, and decorative charm. Their technique rejects the use of ink outline and relies on the use of color alone (mu-ku or "boneless method"). The exact portrayal of neatly observed objects drawn from life persisted in bird and flower painting into the early Ming period.

Related Image Identifier Link:
MIA_.6093c.tif

Finch on a Plum Branch

Finch on a Plum Branch