Artwork
Bush Clover
Bush Clover is an unspecified painting by the Ukiyo-e artist Suzuki Kiitsu. It dates from 1741 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Bush Clover is a painted fan created by Suzuki Kiitsu in 1741. The work presents a botanical motif rendered on a light background, with a palette of muted greens, browns, and touches of white. The composition follows the fan’s structural ribs, arranging leaves and branches in a measured, orderly fashion.
Subject & Meaning
The piece focuses on a single plant, rendered with attention to the delicate forms of its foliage. By isolating the botanical subject, the artist emphasizes the quiet observation of nature, a common theme in Japanese decorative arts that celebrates the transient beauty of everyday flora.
Technique & Style
Executed in ink and subtle color washes, the painting employs fine brushwork to delineate each leaf along the fan’s framework. The soft tonal range and restrained palette reflect the artist’s delicate approach, while the precise alignment with the fan’s ribs demonstrates an integration of functional object and visual composition.
History & Provenance
Signed in black ink with a red seal near the handle, the fan exemplifies portable art objects used in Edo‑period Japan. The work is presently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is displayed as an example of early Japanese fan painting.
Context
Fans such as this served both practical and aesthetic purposes, allowing owners to carry refined artwork in daily life. Suzuki Kiitsu, known for his plant studies, contributed to a tradition of decorative painting that blended utility with artistic expression, situating this piece within a broader cultural practice of miniature art.
Artist & collection
