
Unknown maker
Lotuses, Insects, and Birds1800s
Pairs of herons, kingfishers, and dragonflies punctuate a profusion of lotus in this composition that, given the orientation of the herons and the clustering of motifs in the left-hand side of the work, may have once been the left painting of a pair. More about this work
About this work
Pairs of herons, kingfishers, and dragonflies punctuate a profusion of lotus in this composition that, given the orientation of the herons and the clustering of motifs in the left-hand side of the work, may have once been the left painting of a pair. Given its subject matter, this hanging scroll may have been hung for display during the summer.
Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
How it was made
- Hanging scroll
- A painting mounted on silk with a wooden roller at the foot. It was rolled up for storage and brought out to hang for a season, a guest or an occasion.
- Ink and colour on silk
- Silk was sized with glue and alum so it would hold a crisp brushline, and mineral colours were built up in thin layers. The sheen of the weave still shows through.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Cleveland Museum of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1985.18
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- Korean Art
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site









