Accession Number
1983/2.52

Title
Pheasant in a Tree

Artist(s)
Dianshu Jiang

Object Creation Date
1943

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink and color on paper

Credit Line
Bequest of Jean Paul Slusser

Label copy
One popular Chinese term for pheasant is “brocade chicken.” Pheasants were bred to produce ever more elaborate and colorful plumage, for royal gardens and hunting parks. From the late Song / Sung period (967–1279) onward, pheasants frequently appear as one of many kinds of birds in lush landscapes meant to suggest gardens of paradise.
The second inscription on this painting, by Xu Xiejie / Hsü Hsieh-chieh (alias Shenghai) offers it as a gift to Professor Slusser. Jean Paul Slusser was a long-time member of the University of Michigan Art Department faculty and the founding director of this Museum.
Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
Exhibited in "Flora and Fauna in Chinese Art," April 6, 2002 - December 1, 2002.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
Plants
calligraphy
flowers
pheasants
trees