Heron

Tosa Mitsuoki

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A white heron descending above a lake or stream is reflected in the water below. A stand of reeds and grasses on the right make a subtle reference to a shoreline. Details of the heron’s plumage are finely rendered in white pigment; the eyes, beak, legs, and feet of the bird are also delicately detailed, while the pale reflection of the heron in the water is sensitively delineated. The attention to detail is typical of the work of Mitsuoki, one of the most important painters of the Tosa school, who regained the title "head of the court painting bureau," lost during the Momoyama period (1573–1615), for the successive leaders of his studio. Mitsuoki was well known for his refined bird-and-flower paintings, in which he combined traditional elements of Japanese yamato-e painting with techniques gleaned from the popular Kano school patronized by the Tokugawa shoguns, as well as Chinese bird-and-flower compositions.

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