Titmouse on gorse | Tanaka Nikka 田中日華 | ?-1845

Tanaka Nikka is a renowned painter who trained in the prestigious Shijō school in Kyoto. His works hang in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.  

The motif is quite unusual. The small bird is neither a nightingale nor a sparrow, as they are often depicted on flowering branches, but probably a tit. The yellow broom is also a rather rare floral motif.

Upon closer inspection, one recognizes the master's masterful arrangement of the branches, the clusters of flowers contrasting with individual blossoms. The bird's gaze seems to be fully focused on the beauty of the blossoms, forcing us to pay close attention to this quiet, delicate, yet masterful brushwork.

The image is very bright in color—the light effect is further enhanced by the yellow silk of the new mount. Light blue silk was combined at the top and bottom, subtly reflecting the delicate green leaves of the broom.