Family of Cranes [left of a pair]

Red-crowned cranes were once ubiquitous throughout the wetlands of China, Korea and Japan. Their impressive size (up to five feet tall), striking coloration, and lively dance made them a popular subject among artists. In East Asia mythology, they are believed to live for 1, 000 years, and thus became auspicious symbols of longevity. This set of screens would have been appropriate for especially felicitous events such as birthday and New Year celebrations. Nagasawa Rosetsu, had an uncanny understanding of animals. Here, using a fairly cursory and informal brush technique, he deftly captured the sometimes ungainly and comical nature of these large birds.