# A Hundred Sparrows in a Lofty Grove

- By: Lin Liang (Chinese, 1416–1480)
- Date: 1368–1644
- Medium: handscroll; ink on silk
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Overall: 28.6 x 498.2 cm (11 1/4 x 196 1/8 in.)
- Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1981.4)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/1981.4/1981.4_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Sparrows engaged in all kinds of activities frolic amid leafy branches, blades of grass, rocks, and a waterfall. As our eyes move over the scroll, the artist engages us in enjoying the sparrows’ carefree movements in a natural setting.

The charming birds were painted from close observation in swift and fluent brushstrokes. Sparrows are a common bird and in Chinese painting they often represent the commoner in human society as opposed to the noble pheasant or peacock representative of the ruling class.