Cock and Hen

This intimate scene captures a rooster and hen in a moment of quiet companionship, rendered with delicate brushwork that emphasizes their feathery textures. The rooster, with its proud posture and vibrant red comb, stands alert, while the hen pecks at the ground, her form slightly softened. Kawabata Gyokushō, a painter associated with the Maruyama school, often depicted natural subjects with a blend of realism and expressive ink washes. Here, the artist uses the silk surface to create a luminous quality, allowing the subtle shifts in tone to define the birds' forms and the sparse environment. This work, an album leaf, invites close inspection, revealing the careful observation of animal life that defines much of Japanese bird-and-flower painting.