The centerpiece of Plum, Pine, and Bamboo, this painting attributed to Sesshu Toyo (1420 - 1506), Japan's most renowned Zen Buddhist painter, premieres publicly in this exhibition, perhaps for the first-time in its five hundred year existence. The screen contains images of birds and flowers of the autumn and winter seasons, and was originally one of a pair of screens: the location of its pendant, decorated with birds and flowers of spring and summer, is unknown. This single screen joins a distinguished group of only seven pairs of screens of this subject presently attributed to Sesshu in the world.

Sesshu Toyo was celebrated during his own time in Japan as an artist who adapted Chinese painting models to create compositions with distinctive character and energy. Sesshu appears to have initiated in Japan the large-scale polychromatic folding screen format of bird and flower painting. The Ackland's screen illustrates many characteristics of Sesshu's work including the subject; the folding screen format; the brushstrokes (untouched by any over-painting) used to depict the leaves, and tree trunks; the handling of the fall and winter landscapes including the variety of birds and flowers selected to represent the season; and the detailing of the birds, their expressions and positioning in the composition.

Attributed to Sesshu Toyo (1420 – 1506 CE)
Muromachi period (1392 – 1573 CE)
Flowers and Birds, ca. 1500 CE
six-fold screen; ink and color on paper
Ackland Fund, 98.9