Pine and Wood Pigeons in Autumn

Kanō Naonobu

1607–1650

Pine and Wood Pigeons in Autumn, 1600s, Edo period (1600–1868)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: ink; paper; gold leaf; color

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 1,549 x 562 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 1,559 x 610 mm per panel

Credit line: Gift of Curtis Besinger, Professor Emeritus

Accession number: 1996.0185.a

On display: Lee Study Center

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Label texts

Eternal Spring: Pines

Kanō Naonobu was a member of the Kanō school, one of the most famous painting schools in Japan for over 300 years. On this folding screen, he depicts an autumnal scene with a twisted pine tree. Pine trees symbolize longevity because they remains green while other trees change color and drop their leaves in autumn. A pair of wood pigeons huddle together on a branch for warmth. Pigeons are associated with parental love, loyalty, and protection.

Archive Label 2003: Folding screens (byōbu) vary in size from very large pairs that function as room dividers or backdrops for important events to smaller more intimate works intended for quiet contemplation. Screens with their accordion-like format are often more powerful and accessible than hanging scrolls or prints. The artists of Edo Japan (1615-1867) made their mark on the screen format in a number of different ways. One of the most popular was by looking to Japan’s classical past, thus some folding screens illustrate selections from Japanese classical literature. Others depict the ideal of cultured Edo people engaged in leisure pastimes and elegant pursuits, while still other byōbu show man’s relationship with nature and the changing seasons as in this pair of screens by Kanō Naonobu. Kanō Naonobu was born in Kyoto and is the younger brother of Kano Tan’yu, the most famous and important Kanō school artist of the Edo period. Naonobu’s skill in using ink was praised over that of Tan’yū, but sadly Naonobu died at a young age.