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Birds

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.

24 works · hang 748 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

Bay 1

  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 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

Bay 2

  1. Screen (two-panel)
    Herons and Old WIllowKano Sadanobu, 1615-1868Courtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  2. Green Parrot, c. 1820
    Green ParrotUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1820Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Bay 3

  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

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. A work made of hanging scroll; ink and color on paper.
    Hibiscus and MagpiesBaiitsu Yamamoto, 1847Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Bay 5

  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 6

  1. Hawk at sunrise, by Jeong Hong-Rae, second half 18th century–first half 19th century
    Hawk at sunriseJeong Hong-Rae, second half 18th century–first half 19th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. This is a drawing of an ornamental design featuring mythological creatures and motifs. The artwork depicts a symmetrical arrangement with two central figures holding musical instruments, surrounded by acanthus leaves, griffins, and sphinxes. In the upper portion, there is a winged figure with a crown-like headdress carrying symbols or trophies. The design is detailed with decorative elements including floral patterns and architectural motifs. Throughout the drawing, there are various mythological creatures integrated into the composition.
    Ornamental Panel Inscribed "Victoria Augusta"Giovanni Antonio da Brescia, c. 1516Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Bay 7

  1. Peacocks, by Melchior d' Hondecoeter, 1683
    PeacocksMelchior d' Hondecoeter, 1683Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Dead Birds and Shot BagsPieter Boel, c. 1660Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Bay 8

  1. Shown from about the knees up, a pale-skinned young woman stands within a stone niche, with a parrot perched on her finger as she gazes out at us in this vertical painting. The woman’s hands are raised to chest height, and she balances the spruce-blue parrot on the index finger of her far hand while her other hand holds an indistinct, white object. Her body is angled to our left, and she looks at us from the corner of her green eyes under faint brows. Her round face has a small nose, flushed cheeks, and her coral-red mouth curls up in a slight smile, her lips parted. Her honey-blond hair is gathered at the back of her head with curly tendrils framing her face and falling to her shoulders. She wears a golden-brown gown trimmed with a narrow ruffle of white fabric along the low neckline that reveals her décolletage. The bird faces the woman and lifts something, presumably a bit of food, up with one dark claw. The underside of its tail is crimson red. A light-skinned boy stands in deep shadow just to the right of the woman. He looks up at her and holds a silver tray in both hands. They stand within a light brown, arched, stone opening beyond a ledge, which comes up to about the woman’s knees. A carpet patterned with stylized flowers in ruby red, burnt orange, teal blue, white, and black is bunched up and draped over the parapet, to our right. A tall, iron-gray cage sits to our left. The rug partly covers an inscription on the front face of the niche that reads, “M. DO,” with the O cut off. A copper-colored, fringe-lined drapery hangs from the upper right of the arch and is fastened to the inner edge of the opening to create a swag. The woman is brightly lit from the upper left, and the space behind her and the boy is ink black. The artist signed and dated the lower left corner as if he had carved into the front face of the arch. It reads, “CNetscher .Ao. 16.66,” with the C and N overlapping to make a monogram.
    A Woman Feeding a Parrot, with a PageCaspar Netscher, 1666Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. 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