Artists of the Maruyama school combined Western realism with the indigenous penchant for decorative design to produce works of great naturalism and pleasing visual effect. Nagasawa Roshu_, pupil of the progenitor of the school and adopted son of one of its leading masters, was himself a master of this style. This set of paintings is an impressive example of his work and reveals both Roshu_'s debt to his teacher, O_kyo, and to his adoptive father, Rosetsu. The refined, precise approach clearly suggests Roshu_'s fidelity to O_kyo's fastidious style. Other elements reveal the unorthodox approach of Rosetsu. Rosetsu was fond of juxtaposing subjects of vastly different scale. Here, Roshu_ echoes this approach by pairing a tiny wagtail with the imposing peacock.