Bird on a Flowering Branch1100s · Study 1985.371

Context from the museum

A male redstart sits hunched on the branch of a flowering plum tree in early spring. The bird’s plumage is rendered in fine detail with a great naturalistic sense, characteristic of Southern Song court painting. While redstarts tend to spend the winter in warmer climates, they may have been seen during the mild winters in China’s southeast in Hangzhou, the seat of the former imperial painting academy where this album leaf was presumably produced. The small square painting must have once been part of an album. When collected in Japan, it was mounted as a hanging scroll, presumably to fit it in an alcove to be enjoyed during the tea ceremony.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The seal at the upper left is an official Yuan dynasty seal used on paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting measurement for Bird on a Flowering Branch is 24.5 cm wide and 23.8 cm high, equivalent to approximately 9.6 × 9.4 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.03:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.06 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 8.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 137.8 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Bird on a Flowering Branch in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, album leaf mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this near-square composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 24.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?