Floor plan

South wing: ThemesBirds

Birds

The image features a detailed black and white illustration with multiple human and animal figures in a symbolic arrangement. In the foreground, two full-body figures are depicted in long robes and sandals, positioned on either side of a large draped banner with text. One figure holds an open book. Above the banner are celestial figures in dynamic poses. To the left is a winged bull-like creature and a seated male figure with a beard, next to a female figure in classical attire. They are all surrounded by flowing fabric and a lion-like animal. In the lower center foreground, there is an emblem resembling a coat of arms with an eagle and a crowned shield. The background is textured, with no natural landscape or architecture present, allowing the figures to stand out. The illustration is framed by the margins of an open book.
A work made of oil on canvas.
Hooded Warblers, study for book Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom, by Gladys Thayer, ca. 1900-1909
Birds and Flowers, by Kano Mitsunobu, late 1500s

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Birds turn up in every tradition gathered here: on Chinese scrolls, in Japanese prints, in natural-history plates and on American canvases. Some are observed with a naturalist's precision, others carry meanings of their own, such as the crane for long life.

Bay 1

  1. The image features a detailed black and white illustration with multiple human and animal figures in a symbolic arrangement. In the foreground, two full-body figures are depicted in long robes and sandals, positioned on either side of a large draped banner with text. One figure holds an open book. Above the banner are celestial figures in dynamic poses. To the left is a winged bull-like creature and a seated male figure with a beard, next to a female figure in classical attire. They are all surrounded by flowing fabric and a lion-like animal. In the lower center foreground, there is an emblem resembling a coat of arms with an eagle and a crowned shield. The background is textured, with no natural landscape or architecture present, allowing the figures to stand out. The illustration is framed by the margins of an open book.
    Title Page for Balthasar Cordier, Catena Sexaginta Qvinqve Graecorvm Patrvm in S. Lvcam...Cornelis Galle I, 1628Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Bird CatcherThomas Couture, c. 1857Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Bay 2

  1. Hooded Warblers, study for book Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom, by Gladys Thayer, ca. 1900-1909
    Hooded Warblers, study for book Concealing Coloration in the Animal KingdomGladys Thayer, ca. 1900-1909Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Birds and Flowers, by Kano Mitsunobu, late 1500s
    Birds and FlowersKano Mitsunobu, late 1500sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Bay 3

  1. Kaiwan, Latif, and Sharif arrive at a house of worship, where they seek help from Khurshid who has become a mystical healer, from a Tuti-Nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second Night, c. 1560
    Kaiwan, Latif, and Sharif arrive at a house of worship, where they seek help from Khurshid who has become a mystical healer, from a Tuti-Nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second NightUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Lovers Walking in the Snow (Crow and Heron), by Suzuki Harunobu, 1764–72
    Lovers Walking in the Snow (Crow and Heron)Suzuki Harunobu, 1764–72Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bay 4

  1. Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)
    Flowers, ducks, and other birdsLi Di, 15th-18th centuryCourtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  2. 1901-39-151-a: DEER HUNT WITH HOUNDS [ABOVE]; SKYLARK HUNT WITH FALCONS [BELOW]; 1901-39-151-b: GOOSE AND DUCK HUNT WITH FALCONS [ABOVE RIGHT]; GOOSE HUNT [BELOW RIGHT]
    Goose and Duck Hunt with Falcons [above right]; Goose Hunt [below right]Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus, ca. 1596-99Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Bay 5

  1. Screen (two-panel)
    Herons and Old WIllowKano Sadanobu, 1615-1868Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  2. Woman with a Parrot, by Gustave Courbet, 1866
    Woman with a ParrotGustave Courbet, 1866Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bay 6

  1. The tale of the three men trapped in a cave by a rolling boulder, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second Night, by Bihzad, c. 1560
    The tale of the three men trapped in a cave by a rolling boulder, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second NightBihzad, c. 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Kingfisher and Chinese Bellflowers, by Utagawa Hiroshige, early or mid-1830s
    Kingfisher and Chinese BellflowersUtagawa Hiroshige, early or mid-1830sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Bay 7

  1. A work made of hanging scroll; ink and colors on silk.
    Frost fills the air and the autumn air is still/lines of returning geese cross the moon in the third hour-Kenshin, from the series Twelve Aspects of the MoonTsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1885/92Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. The Judgment of Paris: he is sitting at left with Venus, Juno and Pallas Athena, a winged victory above. In the upper section the Sun in his chariot preceeded by Castor and Pollux on horseback, at lower right two river gods and a naiad above whom Jupiter, an eagle, Ganymede, Diana and another goddess, by Marcantonio Raimondi, ca. 1510–20
    The Judgment of Paris: he is sitting at left with Venus, Juno and Pallas Athena, a winged victory above. In the upper section the Sun in his chariot preceeded by Castor and Pollux on horseback, at lower right two river gods and a naiad above whom Jupiter, an eagle, Ganymede, Diana and another goddessMarcantonio Raimondi, ca. 1510–20Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bay 8

  1. This painting depicts a classical architectural scene with a bird and multiple individuals. It is done in the style of Jean-Baptiste Oudry. The image includes a large building with stone columns and stairs. A parrot is perched on a tree, catching attention with its colorful feathers. In the foreground, a person in classical clothing appears to be in motion. In the background, a group of people are gathered with varied expressions and gestures directed towards the person in the foreground. The architectural elements and foliage add depth and context to the scene.
    Les deux perroquets, le roi et son fils (Two Parrots, the King, and His Son)Antoine Radigues, published 1759Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A pastel drawing of woman in blue and pink dress with blue parrot.
    A Young Lady with a ParrotRosalba Carriera, c. 1730Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago