painting;
handscroll
- Museum number
- 1978,0626,0.3
- Description
-
Painting, handscroll, mitate-e. Thirty-six historical figures portrayed in the manner of the thirty-six immortal poets. Ink and light colours on paper. Sealed and inscribed. With paulownia storage box.
- Production date
- 19thC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 26 centimetres
-
Width: 363.50 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
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- Curator's comments
- Hizo Nihon bijutsu taikan Vol 2
This scroll presents a collection of thirty-six historical figures in the manner of the traditional "Thirty-six Celebrated Poets of Old." The first section, as indicated by the inscriptions "to Teika" and "to Sanjonishi Sanezumi," takes the form of poems to the poets Teika and Sanezumi and the historical figures Minamoto no Yoshiie and Minamoto no Yoritomo. These are followed by a miscellany of figures including Ikkyu Sojun and Kamo no Chomei, Hayashi Razan and Botanka Shohaku, Hatakeyama Shigetada, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The end of the scroll bears a seal that can be read "Sobun"; the only artist using this particular pseudonym who comes to mind is the Morikawa Sobun of the Meiji period. The style, at first sight, is reminiscent of Buson's 'haiga', the outlines of the figures being quickly painted with spare ink lines to which seemingly careless touches of thin color are added to create figures of lightness and grace. The skillful use of simple lines to show the contours of the face and the posture of each figure suggests the hand of an experienced painter.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1978
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1978,0626,0.3
- Additional IDs
-
Asia painting number: Jap.Ptg.Add.578 (Japanese Painting Additional Number)
