painting; handscroll BM-1975-0728-0.1

Period:Qing dynasty Production date:17thC(late)-18thC(early)
Materials:silk
Technique:painted
Subjects:bird tree/bush bamboo,flower
Dimensions:Height: 43 centimetres (image) Height: 55 centimetres (mount) Width: 209 centimetres (image) Width: 263.50 centimetres (mount)

Description:
Handscroll. Bamboo and birds with inscription. Painted in ink and colours on silk.
IMG


Comments:Ink bamboo was a special category of painting and the strokes used in painting it resemble the skills of writing calligraphy. Many artists who specialized in bamboo would only paint that subject and not birds. The inscription states that this painting was a collaboration between Zhu Sheng, who was renowned for bamboo, rocks and orchids, and Dai Zhao. Little is known about Dai, whose red birds are fitted into the composition with great skill.