Hawks

Soga Nichokuan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The right-hand scroll of this pair depicts a hawk perched on a rock by a body of water, one leg flexed. A faint reference to a cliff face, executed in ink wash, appears in the background at right. The left-hand scroll features a hawk on an oak branch. The bird’s head is turned as though gazing at something beyond the picture frame. On both animals, the texture of the feathers is effectively conveyed through layered brushwork in various tones by Soga Nichokuan. Like his father, Soga Chokuan, Nichokuan specialized in avian subjects, particularly birds of prey.

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art