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Willow and Magpie
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The Willow and Magpie is the product of a mindset that combines knowledgeable observation of birds in general and magpies in particular with an image-making process using a sophisticated ink technique to suggest the nature of the bird, the general characteristics of willow, and the visual effect of rain and mist. These are not trivial accomplishments but of equal importance with Southern Song period achievements in lyrical poetry or canal building.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineWillow and Magpie, mid-1200s. Attributed to Fachang Muqi (Chinese, 1220–1280). Hanging scroll; ink on paper; image: 60.4 x 30.9 cm (23 3/4 x 12 3/16 in.); overall: 137.2 x 48.3 cm (54 x 19 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1982.53
