Kimono with Pheasants amid Peonies

Unknown artist

Vividly colored pheasants and peonies appear against a background that graduates delicately from light brown to beige from top to hem. The depiction of pheasants amid the “king of flowers,” as peonies were known in East Asia, has a long history in Japanese pictorial arts; they often represent summer on screens, sliding doors, and paintings from the Muromachi and Momoyama periods. The auspicious peony motif came to Japan from China, and their combination with long-tailed birds was gradually adapted to Japanese tastes, becoming a favored motif in decorative arts as well. The rocks, birds, and pink and apricot-color flowers appear on the front of the long-sleeve kimono, with the left and right halves of the composition almost merging at the back in a modern rendering of the classical pattern.