Birds and Chrysanthemums in Snow, first half 16th century, Geiai, Japanese, act. first half 16th cent., 19 1/4 ¡Ñ 12 3/4 in. (48.9 ¡Ñ 32.39 cm) (image)53 1/2 ¡Ñ 17 1/4 in. (135.89 ¡Ñ 43.82 cm) (without roller), Ink and color on silk, Japan, 16th century, A pair of small birds have alighted on the branch of an old tree at the water¡¦s edge. A dusting of snow¡Xdelicately painted using gofun, a white pigment made of ground oyster shells¡Xhas fallen on the tree and a clump of blooming chrysanthemums below. This painting was almost certainly once part of a larger set depicting birds and flowers of various seasons. The season represented here is early winter, when chrysanthemums remain in bloom even as the snow begins to fall.