
Kimono with Pheasants amid Peonies
An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Vividly colored pheasants and peonies appear against a ground that graduates delicately from light brown to beige, from top to hem. The depiction of pheasants amid the “king of flowers,” as peonies were known in East Asia, has a long history in Japanese pictorial arts and is associated with summer. The auspicious peony motif originated in China and began appearing in Japanese decorative arts in combination with long-tailed birds. Here, rocks, birds, and pink- and apricot-colored flowers are depicted on the front of the kimono, with the left and right halves of the composition almost merging at the back in a modern rendering of a classical pattern. The realistic depiction of the flowers and the birds reflects the influence of Western oil painting.
Asian Art
An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.