Sparrows and a nanten tree

hanging scroll

Japanese Collection

Accession Nr.: 3085
Type: painting; hanging scroll
Artist/Maker:
Date of production:
1810
Edo (Tokugawa) period
Place of production:
Acquisition: collected by Péter Vay
Signed: the name of the painter (Kantei)
Marks: two red stamps, date
Materials/Techniques: ink and colours on silk
Dimensions: height: 165 cm
width: 44.5 cm
mirror: 96.5 × 34.3 cm
Stretching upwards on the left-hand side of the painting is a nanten tree, well known in Japan for its bright red berries and believed by the Japanese to bring good fortune. A sparrow sits on a branch of briar rose that extends towards the right, while its mate flies downwards towards it.