Insects and Bamboo
Unknown Artist
1200s
Medium
Album leaf; ink and light color on silk
Dimensions
23.8 × 25.6 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith
Accession Number
1985.364
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This painting represents a microcosm (a world in small) of the Jiangnan ecosystem: while the bush cricket feeds on bamboo, the male widow-skimmer dragonfly is a predator of small insects like mosquitos. Mosquitoes, abundant in late summer and early autumn, suggest the fall season.