Peonies and Silver Pheasants 牡丹白鷴図

Nakabayashi Chikkei 中林竹渓

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

A regal silver pheasant with cascading tail feathers stands beside its mottled brown companion amid an exuberant tangle of pink and white peonies in this hanging scroll from Japan's Nanga tradition. Chikkei, trained in the literati painting style inherited from his father Nakabayashi Chikuto, combines meticulous naturalistic detail in the birds' plumage with looser, expressive brushwork in the foliage, creating a harmonious tension between precision and spontaneity. Silver pheasants and peonies together symbolize nobility, longevity, and prosperity in East Asian art, making this a traditional auspicious image meant to bring good fortune to its owner. The soft mineral pigments on silk and the elegant mounting evoke the refined aesthetic sensibility of 19th-century Kyoto painting circles, offering a serene, nature-infused focal point for any room.