Chinese
Pheasants, mid 15th century
Ink and color pigment on silk; mounted as a hanging scroll, 162.5 x 95 cm (64 x 37 3/8 in.)
This Chinese scroll depicts a pheasant standing amid dark green stems and leaves against a muted gold background. The pheasant has white feathers on its breast, wings and long pointed tail, with dark black markings on its chest, body and head. There is an orangish-red patch on its face, and it stands on orange legs. This bird has its head turned toward our left looking toward a baby pheasant in a nest. The baby bird’s body has black dots on its body, a dark head, and a red patch around its eye. Its head is turned to our right toward the larger pheasant with its beak open. There are several white flowers visible amid the dark green foliage, some of which is bamboo. Along the top and bottom of this piece is a repeating motif of gold rectangles against a black background and the entire piece is edged in a mottled gold border.
Third Floor Passage
Commentary
In this painting, the artist combined five sparrows with a pair of pheasants, whose feathers were frequently compared to a scholar’s literary talents. Together they are a visual play-on-words: in Chinese the words for pheasant and sparrow sound like a wish of “juezhi” or “reaching high official ranks.” WIth the inclusion of peonies symbolizing prosperity and bamboo representing enduring upright character, this painting complimented the high achievements of a court official.