Sparrows on a Branch of Nandina in Winter

Artists

Description

Executed in ink, color, and white pigment on silk, this charming painting in hanging scroll format presents a winter scene of a nandina bush with three sparrows perched upon the plant’s snow-laden branches. From the lower left corner of the composition, the woody stalks of nandina reach upwards, culminating in clusters of leave reddish orange berries that appear from afar to be covered in snow, as large unpainted areas of reserved light silk surround the foliage. A pair of sparrows sits huddled together on the bush’s lower branches; they glance upward toward a single sparrow, who rests upon an upper branch and returns their gaze. An ink wash was applied to the silk to carefully darken background areas of the picture field and suggest dark clouds on a snowy day. Splashes of white pigment, representing falling snow flakes, further embellish the winter scene. A signature and red square intaglio seal appear at the lower left, just to the right of the nandina stalks emerging from the ground.

Dimensions

painting proper: H. 121.4 x W. 44 cm (47 13/16 x 17 5/16 in.) mounting, inlcuding suspension core and roller ends: H. 186.4 x W. 52.6 cm (73 3/8 x 20 11/16 in.)

Provenance

[T.Z. Shiota,San Francisco (by 1940)], sold; to Louis V. Ledoux Collection, New York (1940-1948), by descent; to his son L. Pierre Ledoux, New York (1948-2001), by inheritance; to his widow Joan F. Ledoux, New York, (2001-2013), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2013. Footnotes: 1. Louis V. Ledoux (1880-1948) 2. L. Pierre Ledoux (1912-2001) 3. On long term loan to Harvard Art Museums from 1981 to 2013.