Chinese Ink Landscapes

Traditional Chinese paintings featuring serene landscapes, depicting scholars, mountains, and gardens with subtle hues and intricate detailing.

Rustic Retreat among Fishermen Zhou Wenjing Zhou Wenjing served as a court painter in the Beijing imperial palace. His artistic abilities became known when he was summoned to court as a soothsayer and won first prize in a painting competition sponsored by the Xuande emperor (r. 1426-35). Zhou was still active as a court painter in 1463.This small hanging scroll elucidates Ming accounts describing how Zhou Wenjing followed the styles of both the Southern Song Academy master Xia Gui (act. ca. 1190-1225) and the Yuan scholar-painter Wu Zhen (1280-1354). The painting's large proportion of empty space, the intimate focus, and the use of mineral colors on silk recall the highly selective "one-corner" landscapes of the Song Academy. Zhou's intentionally naive rendering of figures and calligraphic treatment of foreground grasses and foliage patterning, however, are derived from scholar paintings of the late Yuan. This painting probably decorated a small panel or screen in the living quarters o

Lofty Scholar among Streams and Mountains, in the manner of Juran late 17th century Wang Jian Chinese The Orthodox school master Wang Jian seldom painted figures or architecture. In this painting, however, Wang, who claims in his inscription to have been inspired by a work of the same title by Juran (act. ca. 960-95), has depicted a scholar seated in a handsome two-story studio overlooking an expanse of river. The idea of a mountain retreat also recalls Wang Wei's (699-759) Wangchuan Villa.The mountain forms, made with round "hemp-fiber" texture strokes and rich "alum-head" moss dots, are characteristic of the Juran brush idiom as interpreted by the Yuan master Wu Zhen (1280-1354). By executing the round arcs of these strokes in a rhythmical manner, Wang Jian invented the undulating compositional movements that his pupil Wang Hui (1632-1717) developed into the so-called dragon-vein principle.. Lofty Scholar among Streams and Mountains, in the manner of Juran. Wang Jian (Chinese, 1609-1

Album of 12 Landscapes Album of 12 Landscapes, 18th century. Ink and light color on silk, Image: 12 1/8 x 9 in. (30.8 x 22.9 cm). Asian Art 18th century

Discourse on Poetry 1698 Gao Jian Chinese Gardens were often designed to embody the ideals of their owners. Paintings of gardens could take even greater license in conveying a mans character by constructing symbols and metaphors drawn from elements of the natural environment. That is surely the case with this painting by the Suzhou artist Gao Jian.The painting was made to accompany a treatise on Chinese poetry by the renowned scholar-official and collector Song Luo (1634-1713). In it, Gao presents an idealized evocation of Song composing his discourse in a garden pavilion. Rejecting bright color and representational verisimilitude, Gao renders his simplified, almost naive vision of the garden in a spare, “dry brush” monochrome style that emphasizes the paintings role as a “portrait” rather than a literal description of the scholars surroundings. The majestic pines, dense grove of bamboo, and tranquil lotus pond may all be read as metaphors for Songs lofty character, moral virtue, a

The Orchid Pavilion Gathering 1801-1900 China. Handscroll; ink and light colors on silk .

Mountain Landscape in Moonlight, 1200s. China, late Southern Song (1127-1279) - early Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Hanging scroll; ink on silk; image: 54.3 x 36 cm (21 3/8 x 14 3/16 in.); overall: 139.6 x 41.4 cm (54 15/16 x 16 5/16 in.).

Dongshan Villa. This scene was painted by the famous 18th-century professional painter Yuan Jiang, who was active in the Yangzhou region. A scholar commissioned him to depict his villa and life inside it. The owner sits on the terrace gazing at the moon and listening to the music that his concubines are playing for him.

Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou: The Five Sages Terrace, after 1490. Shen Zhou (Chinese, 1427-1509). Album leaf, ink on paper or ink and slight color on paper; image: 31.5 x 41.4 cm (12 3/8 x 16 5/16 in.); overall: 36.5 x 49.9 cm (14 3/8 x 19 5/8 in.).

Rustic Retreat among Fishermen Zhou Wenjing Zhou Wenjing served as a court painter in the Beijing imperial palace. His artistic abilities became known when he was summoned to court as a soothsayer and won first prize in a painting competition sponsored by the Xuande emperor (r. 1426-35). Zhou was still active as a court painter in 1463.This small hanging scroll elucidates Ming accounts describing how Zhou Wenjing followed the styles of both the Southern Song Academy master Xia Gui (act. ca. 1190-1225) and the Yuan scholar-painter Wu Zhen (1280-1354). The painting's large proportion of empty space, the intimate focus, and the use of mineral colors on silk recall the highly selective "one-corner" landscapes of the Song Academy. Zhou's intentionally naive rendering of figures and calligraphic treatment of foreground grasses and foliage patterning, however, are derived from scholar paintings of the late Yuan. This painting probably decorated a small panel or screen in the living quarters o

Bamboo in Fine Weather after Rain, mid-1700s. Ike Taiga (Japanese, 1723-1776). Two-panel folding screen; ink on paper; image: 163.2 x 182.6 cm (64 1/4 x 71 7/8 in.). As this two-fold byøbu demonstrates, Taiga ranks among the most creative painters of the Edo period. By sheer industry and with unfettered talent, in three and one-half decades he produced an oeuvre exceeding one thousand compositions, in various formats. While he was unencumbered by a traditional education in the classical literature and philosophy of Chinese civilization, he nevertheless gravitated toward standard themes. He was familiar with native painting themes and techniques, but his circle--fellow artists, writers, and intellectuals--all favored the cultural realm of the artist-scholar grounded in Chinese studies. Skilled with brush and ink, and a consummate professional, Taiga had begun supporting himself and his widowed mother while he was still a teenager. Their livelihood depended on the sale of his pictures a

Geese, Reeds, and Water, 1800s. Yamamoto Baiitsu (Japanese, 1783-1856). One of a pair of four-panel folding screens; ink, color, and cut gold foil on paper; image: 169 x 350.5 cm (66 9/16 x 138 in.). This bybu composition differs from most in that it comprises two four-panel screens, rather than two six-panel units. Since the current mounting is modern, it is impossible to determine whether its present configuration represents its original design. Some panels may have been removed to help the screens better fit into a modern interior space. Baiitsu worked almost exclusively in monochromatic ink tones and favored classical Chinese painting themes.

Bamboo and Rocks, 1688, Zhu Sheng, Chinese, 1617-c. 1691, 73 1/4 x 37 3/8 in. (186.06 x 94.93 cm), Ink on silk, China, 17th century, Zhu Sheng was born in the modern city of Hangzhou in the Zhejiang province. He studied under Lu Dezhi (1585-1660), a specialist in bamboo and orchid paintings who in turn was inspired by the great Song dynasty masters of bamboo paintings, Su Shi (1036-1101) and Wen Dong (1019-1079). This background rooted Zhu Sheng in a rather pictorial approach to painting. The second edition of the famous 'Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual' featured Zhu Sheng's designs for bamboo and orchid painting and he enjoyed professional success while working in Nanjing during his later years.

Wildlife Friends (Yasei no Tomo) Kawakami Ryoka (Japanese, 1887-1921). Wildlife Friends (Yasei no Tomo), ca. 1918. Ink, opaque watercolors and possibly lacquer on wove paper decorated with mica, 8 7/16 x 206 in. (21.4 x 523.2 cm). Asian Art ca. 1918

Monk Gazing at Clouds Su Renshan Chinese Qing dynasty (1644-1911) Here, Su Renshan exploited the linear patterns and graphic forms found in woodblock printsone of his principal sources of inspirationto create a startlingly minimalist style. His economical drawing, more sketch than painting, conveys the artist's hand with great immediacy, but Su shows little interest in describing the mass and surface textures of his forms. Furthermore, individual motifs remain isolated, their interrelationships ambiguous. Like an opaque mist that reveals only disconnected glimpses of scenery, Su's landscape presents a composition that is fragmentary and disorienting. The artist's disregard for perspective or representational detail is underscored by his inscription, which makes clear that Su considered painting a conscious act of creation rather than an imitation of nature:Where my brush reaches the broken cliff with a rushing waterfall,I add a figure of a monk by the rock, gazing at the clouds.(Wen Fo

Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, 1700s. Watanabe Shikō (Japanese, 1683-1755). Six-panel folding screen, ink on paper; image: 150 x 356 cm (59 1/16 x 140 3/16 in.); overall: 170 x 376 cm (66 15/16 x 148 1/16 in.).

Searching for Immortals. Artist: Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) (Chinese, 1642-1707). Calligrapher: Inscribed by Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) (Chinese, 1642-1707). Culture: China. Dimensions: 5 7/8 x 10 3/4 in. (14.9 x 27.3 cm).Having lived as an itinerant monk nearly his entire life, Shitao decided in 1696 to shed his Buddhist garb, end his peripatetic life, and build himself a home in the prosperous commercial center of Yangzhou, where he supported himself through his painting. In this album, painted not long after Shitao settled in Yangzhou, the artist has drawn for inspiration on his own lifetime of wandering. We feel the painter's presence in each of the images as he explores the themes of traveling and dwelling among mountains and lakes. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Landscape with Man Crossing Bridge Attributed to Shen Zhou Chinese. Landscape with Man Crossing Bridge. Attributed to Shen Zhou (Chinese, 1427-1509). China. Album leaf; ink and color on paper. Ming (1368-1644) or Qing (1644-1911) dynasty. Paintings

Landscapes of the Four Seasons dated 1560 Xie Shichen Chinese These two paintings belong to a set of enormous landscapes depicting the four seasons. They are all similarly composed, with large figures at the bottom and towering mountains above. Each season has its own narrative. In the springtime scene (right), two gentlemen on horseback cross a bridge with their servants. In the summer scene (left), travelers struggle against a strong wind, while a gentleman in a pavilion observes the storm. In his paintings Xie Shichen creates spaces that are poetic rather than representational, incorporating narrative vignettes and stylistic references to past masters. Here, he skillfully blends two distinct modes of painting. The first, favored by professional painters, is that of the Zhe School, which tended toward large-scale narrative subjects. The second is ascribed to the Wu School, whose calligraphic approach to landscapes was preferred by scholar-amateurs. Listen to experts illuminate this a

Design for a Stage Set 1830-90 Eugène Cicéri French. Design for a Stage Set 387336

Tiger Family, early 1800s. Kishi Ganku (Japanese, 1749/56-1838). One of a pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on paper; image: 164.8 x 362.5 cm (64 7/8 x 142 11/16 in.); including mounting: 179.4 x 384.8 cm (70 5/8 x 151 1/2 in.). By the time this self-taught painter reached his thirties, his paintings were keenly sought after by Kyotos sophisticated patrons, including members of the imperial family. Judging from the surviving works, his supporters delighted in the colorful, auspicious imagery of Chinese historical figures, blossoming plum trees, cranes, peacocks, roosters, and especially tigers. Kishi Ganku was originally from the coastal town of Kanazawa, but relocated to Kyoto to work for the Arisugawa family. His work incorporates stylistic elements from the Kano school, the Maruyama school, and works by the Chinese artist Shen Nanping (1682-1760).

Portrait of An Qi, 1715. Wang Hui (Chinese, 1632-1717), Tu Luo (Chinese, active about 1715), Yang Jin (Chinese, 1644-1728). Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; image: 121.8 x 53.5 cm (47 15/16 x 21 1/16 in.); overall: 259.7 x 89.5 cm (102 1/4 x 35 1/4 in.).

Illustrated book 1893 Japan. Illustrated book. Japan. 1893. Ink on paper. Meiji period (1868-1912). Illustrated Books

Designs of Writing-Paper with Flowers. Artist: Ryuryukyo Shinsai (Japanese, active ca. 1799-1823). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 5 5/8 x 7 7/16 in. (14.3 x 18.9 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Textile, Medium: silk, metallic thread Technique: painted using resist paste to outline (yuzen), Fine creped ochre ground with widely spaced repeat of covered decorated cart amid pines, grasses, and flowers. Scattered leaved embroidered in orange and green floss, couched in gold thread., Japan, late 18th century, printed, dyed & painted textiles, Textile

Imaginary Landscape, 18th century, Sakaki Hyakusen, Japanese, 1697 - 1752, 15 15/16 x 21 1/8 in. (40.48 x 53.66 cm) (image), Ink and light color on paper, Japan, 18th century, Sakaki Hyakusen probably developed his interest in Chinese painting because of his family's business of selling Chinese medicinal herbs. As one of the pioneers of Nanga painting, a style inspired by the great tradition of scholar painting in China, Hyakusen experimented widely. Here, curious scale discrepancies and spatial ambiguities suggest Hyakusen's artistic experimentation. The mixing of various thematic motifs, too, betrays his unfamiliarity with stock Chinese themes. Details such as the descending geese and the scholars who look toward a distant temple from a rocky ledge usually pertain to the famous Chinese theme of the 'Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang.' However, the cranes, waterfalls, and the fantastic quality of the landscape itself are elements common to paintings of the 'Isles of the Immortals.'

Pillars of the Country. Yao Shou; Chinese, 1423-1495. Date: 1423-1495. Dimensions: . Handscroll; ink and color on paper. Origin: China. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Rolling painting in the style of the four tiles. Together with AK-RAK-1991-2-2, AK-RAK-1991-2-3 and AK-RAK-1991-2-4 in wooden box.

Mountain Landscape ca. 1761-63 Soga Shhaku Japanese This Chinese-style landscape by Soga Shhaku, created when he was in his early thirties, demonstrates his indebtedness to Kano School technique and anticipates a type of composition that he would become famous for: Chinese style pavilions in an evocative lakeside setting with steep mountains in the background. Some scholars have doubted its authenticity because of its conservative brushwork in comparison to his later, more famous compositions, but the signature and seal all point to work of his early career.. Mountain Landscape. Soga Shhaku (Japanese, 1730-1781). Japan. ca. 1761-63. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Edo period (1615-1868). Paintings

Emon Hill, from the series "The Appearance of Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara no tei)". Hishikawa Moronobu; Japanese, ()-1694. Date: 1676-1689. Dimensions: 50.5 x 71.0 cm (10 1/16 x 16 1/16 in.). Woodblock print; oban, sumizuri-e. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Painting seven scholars with five helpers unknown

Album for a Brides Trousseau. Artist: Sumiyoshi Hiromori, Japanese, 1705-1777 Artist: Kan? Terunobu (Hidenobu), 1717-1763 Artist: Kan? Yukinobu (J?sen), 1717-1770

Courtly event modeled on the Lanting Gathering 1796-1812 Japan. Color woodblock print; ebangire, surimono . Katsushika Hokusai

Artist: Kokei, ca. 1650-1700, Building aCharacter, ca.1675, Hanging scroll, ink, color, and sprinkled gold on paper, without mounting: 42 1/2 × 18 9/16 in. (108 × 47.2 cm), Japan, Japanese, Edo period(1615-1868), Paintings

Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Search the Mountain: Leaf 50, 1200s. China, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Album, ink on paper; sheet: 34.1 x 38.4 cm (13 7/16 x 15 1/8 in.).

Anonymous, landscape. Ink and colors on silk. Cernuschi Museum, Asia Museum of Asia in the city of Paris.

Eight-Platform Bridge (Yatsuhashi), from the Tale of Ise (Ise Monogatari) 1759-1770 Japan. Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e . Suzuki Harunobu

Landscape 17th century Unidentified artist This painting was acquired for The Met in Beijing in 1913 by the missionary and educator-turned-art-dealer John Calvin Ferguson. Ferguson believed the painting to be by the tenth-century master Dong Yuan, but modern scholars recognize the constricted space and patternized brushwork as signs of a seventeenth-century copy. Landscape. Unidentified artist (17th century). China. 17th century. Handscroll; ink on silk. Ming (1368-1644) or Qing (1644-1911) dynasty. Paintings

Twelve Views of Tiger Hill, Suzhou: Distant View of Tiger Hill from the Canal Mooring, after 1490. Shen Zhou (Chinese, 1427-1509). Album leaf, ink on paper or ink and slight color on paper; image: 31.5 x 40.6 cm (12 3/8 x 16 in.); overall: 36.5 x 49.9 cm (14 3/8 x 19 5/8 in.).

Mongols Invasion (Japanese: Mooko shuurai), by Kikuchi Yoosai, 1847. Ink and water colors on paper. Shows the destruction of the Mongol fleet in a typhoon

Watermill in the Mountains 19th century Attributed to Kishi Ganryo Japanese. Watermill in the Mountains. Attributed to Kishi Ganryo (1798-1852). Japan. 19th century. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Paintings

Anthology of Persian Poetry (Safina) A.H. 1092 and 1096/ A.D 1681 and 1685 'Abd al-'Azim al-Yahya Long, narrow books bound on the short edge are known as 'safina', a word meaning 'boat'. They were a popular form for collections of works by different poets. This 'safina', dated 1681 and 1685, contains poems by several Safavid poets, including 'Urfi, Tahir, and Kalim, written on extremely thin, gold-sprinkled paper and three tinted drawings in a late 16th-century style. Here a falconer is seated in a flowering tree while a mythical bird, the simurgh swoops overhead. The image serves an an analogue to the poetry, which is mostly of a mystical nature, rather than an illustration of a narrative.. Anthology of Persian Poetry (Safina) 454605

Landscape in the Style of Huichong. Artist: Unidentified Artist; After Wang Jian (Chinese, 1609-1677 or 1688). Culture: China. Dimensions: 6 3/8 x 20 1/2 in. (16.2 x 52.1 cm). Date: 18th century or later, spurious date of 1676. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Kaishien gaden = The mustard seed garden painting manual, 1753, Wang Gai, active 1677-1705, Kyoto, Woodcuts

Palaces among Autumn Mountains Unidentified artist During the Yuan dynasty, the archaic blue-and-green landscape style was revived by scholar-artists in the south, who sought new modes of self-expression through a conscious return to models of the past. The rich mineral pigments that characterize this style also made it a favorite of professional and court painters, who never entirely stopped producing decorative works in this manner.This fan painting and its mate, Village and Temples in Jiangnan, typify late fourteenth- and early fifteenth-century interpretations of this decorative style. The prominent use of hemp-fiber wrinkles” to texture rock surfaces reflects the late Yuan preference for the brush idiom of Dong Yuan (active 930s-960s) and Juran (active 960-95); the complex composition and confident rendering of three-dimensional forms in space closely parallel the landscape murals (dated 1358) at the Yonglegong temple.. Palaces among Autumn Mountains 45664

Landscapes after old masters datable to 1638 or 1650 Yun Xiang Chinese Hailed as "the foremost painter after Shen Zhou 1427-1509" by the collector-critic Zhou Lianggong (1612-1672), Yun Xiang was an influential forerunner of such leading early Qing Nanjing painters as Gong Xian (1619-1689).Living in retirement after the Manchu conquest as an yimin, or "leftover subject," of the Ming, Yun Xiang especially admired the dry-brush manner of Ni Zan (1306-1374), the archetypal reclusive scholar-painter of the late Yuan period. Three of the ten paintings in this virtuoso album, in which Yun Xiang interprets a wide range of earlier masters' styles through remarkable variations in brushwork and compositional motifs, were inspired by Ni Zan. The methods of interpretation, bearing the unmistakable influence of the late Ming theorist-painter Dong Qichang (1555-1636), were further developed by Gong Xian and other leading early Qing masters in the late seventeenth century.. Landscapes after old mas

Artist: Lu Mingqian, active mid-18th century, Fishermen on SnowyRiver, Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, without mounting: 44 15/16 × 22 3/4 in. (114.1 × 57.8 cm), China, Chinese, Qing dynasty(1644-1911), Paintings

Landscape with Jutting Cliff, mid 18th century, Takebe (Tatebe) Ryōtai (Ayatari), Japanese, 1719 - 1774, 33 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (85.73 × 31.75 cm) (image)63 7/8 × 13 13/16 in. (162.24 × 35.08 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and colors on silk, Japan, 18th century

Birds and Chrysanthemums in Snow, first half 16th century, Geiai, Japanese, act. first half 16th cent., 19 1/4 × 12 3/4 in. (48.9 × 32.39 cm) (image)53 1/2 × 17 1/4 in. (135.89 × 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 waters edge. A dusting of snow—delicately painted using gofun, a white pigment made of ground oyster shells—has 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.

Inn and Travelers in Snowy Mountains dated 1745 Yuan Yao Chinese This painting, with its extravagant depiction of the rigors of traveling in the mountains in winter, would have appealed to the merchants from the northern province of Shanxi. Inspired by fantastic garden rockeries rather than an actual landscape, Yuan Yaos fanciful composition juxtaposes a twisting vertical mountainscape with a level vista where a playful zigzag bridge bisects the view. A distant range of precipitous peaks is straddled by a bridge ornamented with a pavilion—a typical garden conceit in the level terrain of south China—that is incongruously suspended over a deep chasm. In the foreground, a bustling country inn promises a welcome rest stop for travelers.Yuan first laid out this monochrome masterpiece with pale outlines then added broader, boldly brushed contours in varying ink tones that both model forms and enliven them with graphic energy. The result is a dynamic composition that appears to have been exe

The Twenty-Four Paragons of FilialPiety. Artist, circle of: Kan? Mitsunobu, Japanese, 1561/65-1608

Kingfisher, Cicada, and Willow Tree 19th century China. Kingfisher, Cicada, and Willow Tree 63077

Two Sketches, Corbel and Waterfall, Arnold William Brunner, American, 1857-1925, Graphite and white heightening on brown paper, Left, brook, water falling over rocks into a body of water, trees behind. Right, wooden corbel of face., USA, 1887-88, landscapes, Drawing, Drawing

Sorimachi 409, 1746, Osaka

Kingfisher on a Branch, c. 1851, Ōoka Unpō, Japanese, 1765 - 1848, 9 3/16 × 11 7/8 in. (23.34 × 30.16 cm) (image)39 15/16 × 16 9/16 in. (101.44 × 42.07 cm) (mount, without roller), Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century

Mustard Seed Garden, a Chinese Painter's Manual Mustard Seed Garden, a Chinese Painter's Manual, 1782. Woodblock printed book, ink and color on paper, Each: 11 3/4 x 6 13/16 x 3/16 in. (29.8 x 17.3 x 0.5 cm). Asian Art 1782

Album of Painting and Calligraphy for Maoshu 1666-80 Various artists This album, assembled over more than a decade by a collector referred to by his sobriquet Maoshu, contains paintings and calligraphic writings by twenty-four contributors. The disparate sizes of the leaves suggest that many were collected individually and only subsequently assembled into a single album. Thus, the album was not a unified work done for a specific occasion but rather the gradual creation of the collector. The album may be seen as a record of one mans collecting practices during the middle of the seventeenth century.The album includes at least five artists active in Nanjing and an equal number from towns around Hangzhou: Shaoxing, Pinghu, Jiaxing, and Huating. While all the calligraphies mention Maoshu by name, only a few of the paintings bear personal dedications, suggesting that they may have been acquired through transactions that did not require a dedication. The album folds down the middle; when ope

Court Ladies on a Balcony Watching a Woman and a Girl Chasing a Man in the Yard under Blossoming Cherry Trees 1795-1799 Japan. Color woodblock print; long surimono . Katsukawa Shun'ei

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi period (1662-1722). Prints

Yokkaichi, Ando, Hiroshige, 1797-1858, artist, between 1848 and 1854, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 18.2 x 25.6 cm., Print shows travelers around the torii at the entrance to a shrine at the Yokkaichi station on the Tokaido Road.

Kaishien gaden = The mustard seed garden painting manual.. Wang, Gai, active 1677-1705. Prints, Illustrations. 1753. Spencer Collection

Bamboo and Rock, first half 19th century, Ōkubo Shibutsu, Japanese, 1767 - 1837, 9 3/8 × 12 in. (23.81 × 30.48 cm) (image)39 1/4 × 17 5/16 in. (99.7 × 43.97 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and colors on paper, Japan, 19th century

This artwork by Jo-Sok (1595-1668) depicts the birth of the Kim clan of Silla. From the period of Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1910 AD). It is currently preserved in the National Museum in Seoul.

Flower-Viewing Scene. Artist: Hishikawa Moronobu (Japanese, died 1694). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 11 x 16 1/4 in. (27.9 x 41.3 cm). Date: ca. 1685. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

An Old Man Walking by a Stream, with Distant Mountains Wu Li (Chinese, 1632-1718). An Old Man Walking by a Stream, with Distant Mountains, 1706. Ink and color on paper, image: 50 3/4 x 13 1/2 in. (128.9 x 34.3 cm). Wu Li, an acclaimed Qing dynasty painter, expressed himself through the styles of a select lineage of past artists. Here, sparse trees and an empty pavilion allude to Ni Zan (1301-1374), but Wu Li has reworked the dry, sketchy style of the Yuan dynasty master by incorporating loose, moist brushstrokes to create a richer tonality. Wu Lis reinterpretation may have been influenced by an increasing awareness of Western artistic techniques, such as chiaroscuro and one-point perspective. Wu Li converted to Christianity in the 1670s, allowing him close contact with the missionaries who brought new images and skills to China from the West. Asian Art 1706

Figures in Landscape. Korea, Korean, Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), 17th century. Paintings. Album leaf, ink and color on silk

Birds in Landscape right of a pair, first half 17th century, Kano Naonobu, Japanese, 1607 - 1650, 58 3/4 × 143 7/8 in. (149.23 × 365.44 cm) (image)66 × 151 1/4 × 5/8 in. (167.64 × 384.18 × 1.59 cm) (mount), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 17th century, Although these paintings now exist as a pair of folding screens, this is not how Kano Naonobu designed them. He originally designed them as sliding wall panels. One of the ways you can tell is by looking closely at the far left panel of the right screen, where at the left edge you can see a telltale round repair in the paper surface. This was where one of the door pulls originally was. In that original formatessentially movable, floor-to-ceiling muralsthey would have surrounded the room’s occupants, giving them the sense of being immersed in nature.

Full Moon at Kanazawa, Province of Musashi Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese. Full Moon at Kanazawa, Province of Musashi. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Japan. Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

Bird on a Branch early 16th century Unkei Eii This small painting perfectly encapsulates both the spirit and style of Zen ink compositions of the late medieval period in the style of Sessh Ty (1420-1506). Monochrome and effectively utilizing blank space, the work features dry and spontaneous brushwork that captures the moment a small bird (a titmouse) has alighted on a wizened branch. The brusquely brushed calligraphy by Daitokuji temple prelate Daiko Shkaku cites a verse by the well-known Zen monkpoet Son’an (Kisei Reigen, 1402-1488). It reads: In the forest, when evening comes birds retire and nest together.Coupled birds remain in flight, their joined wings letting them soar,not looking for a place to spend the night.—Son’an(Trans. adapted from Miyeko Murase). Bird on a Branch. Unkei Eii (Japanese, active first half of the 16th century). Japan. early 16th century. Hanging scroll; ink on paper. Muromachi period (1392-1573). Paintings

Second View of the Studio for Respecting the Fungus of Longevity. Artist: Yang Tianbi (Chinese, active early 19th century). Culture: China. Dimensions: 8 3/8 x 31 in. (21.3 x 78.7 cm). Date: 1825. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Nodate no dogu, Utensils for picnic tea ceremony., Niwa, Tokei, 1760-1822, artist, between 1810 and 1818, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 42.5 x 55 cm., Print shows the necessary equipment for celebrating a small tea ceremony at a picnic.

Cherry-Blossom and Maple-Leaf Viewing ca. 1630s Japan Outings to enjoy blossoming cherry trees and the turning colors of maple leaves have been cherished seasonal activities in Japan since ancient times. In the screen at right, where spring cherry blossoms are at their peak, aristocratic women have arrived by carriage. The ladies, with their long hair and voluminous silk garments, look almost anachronistic, while the men, other women, and children are dressed in colorful contemporary fashion. A lady of the palace sits composing a poem while her attendants relax, some enjoying sake. The central figures in the screen at left, an autumn scene with red maples, are court noblemen, warriors, and merchants; even Buddhist monks join the merrymaking. Long pipes such as the one shown in the second panel from the right began to appear prominently in genre paintings after tobacco was introduced to Japan in the late sixteenth century.. Cherry-Blossom and Maple-Leaf Viewing. Japan. ca. 1630s. Pair o

Ink Bamboo. Artist: After Tang Yin (Chinese, 1470-1524). Culture: China. Dimensions: Image: 11 7/16 x 59 1/8 in. (29.1 x 150.2 cm)Overall with mounting: 11 7/8 x 289 9/16 in. (30.2 x 735.5 cm). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Spring Festival on the River. Date: 18th century. Origin: China. Period: Qing dynasty. Ink and color on silk. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Bamboo and Chinese Poems right of a pair, 1865, Doi Gōga, Japanese, 1817 - 1881, 52 1/4 × 125 15/16 in. (132.72 × 319.88 cm) (image)67 3/8 × 147 9/16 × 5/8 in. (171.13 × 374.81 × 1.59 cm) (mount), Ink on paper, Japan, 19th century, Scholar and painter Doi had a conventional side and an eccentric side. The latter is

River and Sky in Evening Snow,' from the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, c. 1602-1603, Kaihō Yūshō; Author: Inscribed by Saishō Jōtai, Japanese, 1533 - 1615, 28 3/8 × 14 1/2 in. (72.07 × 36.83 cm) (image)62 × 19 1/2 in. (157.48 × 49.53 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and gold on paper, Japan, 17th century, Snow clings to the leaves of a clump of bamboo and rock. A snowy peak hangs in the distance. This wintry scene formerly functioned as one of eight panels of a folding screen, depicting the so-called 'Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang,' a popular theme in East Asian painting and poetry. At right is a Chinese poem brushed by the Zen monk Saishō Jōtai (1548-1608). The poem alludes to the Daoist immortal Han Xiangzi, who predicted correctly that his exiled uncle would become stuck at Indigo Pass, a crossing in the Qin Mountains of central China

Flowers. Woodcut, 18--.

Bliej Kultury Stanis Awski, Jan (1860 1907)

Roukaku Sansui Zu (Landscape with tower) Left of a pair of six-section folding screens by Ike no Taiga (1723-1776)/ Tokyo National Museum/ c. 1750/ Japan/ Watercolour and ink on paper/ The Oriental Arts/ 168,7x745/ Landscape

Ode on Returning Home 14th-15th century After Qian Xuan Chinese Qian Xuan was a celebrated Song loyalist who, following the Mongol conquest, supported himself through painting. Toward the end of his life, however, he complained that his works were being forged. Here, both the calligraphy and painting are modeled closely on Qian's style, suggesting that the work is a faithful copy.Qian's composition was inspired by Tao Qian's (365-427) poem "Returning Home," written in 405 after Tao resigned from public office. In it, Tao expresses his preference for poverty over the compromises and constraints of official life, establishing forever the ideal of the home and garden as a personal retreat. Clearly, Qian saw Tao's poem as a reflection of his own life in reclusion. Using the archaic "blue-and-green" style in a new, purposefully naive manner, he created a dreamlike environment that exists outside the realm of temporal troubles. His poem, written to the left of the picture, is both an appreci

Artist: Ju Jie, Chinese, active ca. 1531-85, Landscape in the style of WenZhengming, Hanging scroll: ink on paper, without mounting: 34 3/4 × 11 7/16 in. (88.3 × 29.1 cm), China, Chinese, Ming dynasty(1368-1644), Paintings

Birds and Flowers of Summer and Autumn. Artist: Shikibu Terutada (Japanese, active mid-16th century). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image (a): 37 11/16 × 17 5/8 in. (95.8 × 44.8 cm)Overall with mounting (a): 74 7/16 × 23 3/8 in. (189 × 59.3 cm)Overall with knobs (a): 74 7/16 × 25 3/16 in. (189 × 64 cm)Image (b): 37 11/16 × 17 5/8 in. (95.8 × 44.8 cm)Overall with mounting (b): 74 5/8 × 23 3/8 in. (189.5 × 59.3 cm)Overall with knobs (b): 74 5/8 × 25 3/16 in. (189.5 × 64 cm). Date: mid-16th century.Hollyhocks and lilies of midsummer in the right scroll are countered in the left by flowers of late summer and autumn--cotton roses, chrysanthemums, and eulalia grass. The profusion of detail is characteristic of Shikibu Terutada, a painter active in the Kanto region of eastern Japan. Although his extant works reveal a familiarity with Kano-school styles and compositions, Shikibu probably began his career emulating the style of Kenko Shokei (active before 1478-ca. 1523), the central figure

Gamecocks dated 1838 Katsushika Hokusai Japanese The bantam cock on the right aggressively faces off with his companion to the left as it eyes us, the viewers, as if to ask whether it should engage in battle. In the trademark fashion of Hokusai animal paintings, the expressions of the birds convey humanlike emotions. Their plumage is meticulously rendered, suggesting adeluxe commission. From ancient times in Japan, gamecocks (Japanese: shamo) were specifically bred as fighting birds. There has long been debate among specialists over the authorship of this painting, due in part to the overly elaborate signature on the painting, the likes of which has been seen on no other work associated with the artist. The artists age is given as seventy-nine, and the work is dated to the sixth month of 1838, which is an entirely plausible date of execution. The signature reads “Saki no Hokusai Gakyō Rōjin (Formerly Hokusai, the Old Man Mad about Painting), Nakajima Gozaemon Fujiwara Iitsu.” Though N

Chinese scholar painting found a following in Japan. This diptych represents the ideal of the Chinese scholar who devoted himselfto the arts in quiet seclusion. In a spring and summer landscape scholars gaze at the moon and seek the coolness of a stream. Befitting the Chinese theme, the figures drink tea in the Chinese manner: tea steeped from loose leaves and served in Chinese style ceramics.

Birds and Flowers late 19th-early 20th century Unidentified artist By the tenth century, bird-and-flower painting was an established genre in East Asian painting. In Korea folding screens on this subject became prevalent in the late Joseon period and continued to be popular in the twentieth century.Carefully painted and composed, the scenes on this colorful screen are characterized by meticulous depictions. Each panel portrays one or more pairs of birds resting on or flying around a blossoming plant, a tree, or reeds. Other species appear as well, including insects and the marine life seen in the fifth panel. Many of the motifs have poetic meaning and embody wishes for wealth, career advancement, longevity, and fertility. The symbolism of male-female bird pairingssuch as mandarin ducks, known to mate for lifemade such screens suitable for wedding ceremonies or a bridal chamber.. Birds and Flowers. Unidentified artist. Korea. late 19th-early 20th century. Ten-panel folding screen; ink

Landscape after Fan Kuan (active ca. 990-1030), from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting First edition, 1679 Designed by Wang Gai In 1679, the author Li Yu published a primer for aspiring landscape painters called the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, and he commissioned the versatile painter Wang Gai to provide designs for the illustrations. The first edition features volumes on the components of landscape paintingtrees, rocks, and human figureswith instructions on how to draw different types of each. It also includes two volumes of landscapes in the styles of old masters, which show readers how to transform what they have learned into their own historically minded compositions.The manual transmitted the fashion for studying old masters' styles beyond the rarified elite circles that had given rise to the practice, and it went on to become the most widely used introduction to painting not only in China, but in Korea and Japan as well. Subsequent editions added flowers as

Design for a Stage Set 1830-90 Eugène Cicéri French. Design for a Stage Set 387320

Joint Landscape ca. 1509 and 1546 Shen Zhou Chinese Shen Zhou, the quintessential Ming scholar-amateur painter, preferred to live in retirement rather than risk the vicissitudes of government service. He devoted much of his later life to an exploration of the brush style of the fourteenth-century recluse-painter Wu Zhen. Shen's painting epitomizes the scholar-amateur tradition of self-expression; by depicting the interior world of the mind and heart, it embodies the essence of Chinese artistic striving. The painting's imagery is about private places: secluded dwellings hidden in the heart of the landscape. Shen's calligraphic brushwork, like handwriting, subtly conveys the writer's mind and personality. Shen's most ambitious landscape compositionthe scroll is over fifty-six feet longit shows the artist systematically reinterpreting Wu Zhen's brush idiom while striving for a new compositional monumentality.The painting remained incomplete at Shen Zhou's death. In 1546 it was rediscove

Sidewall - fragment, Block-printed, ungrounded laid paper, Design of tree and flowers in black and white, ca. 1800, Wallcoverings, Sidewall - fragment

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 2 (leaf 29), mid- to late 1700s. Aoki Shukuya (Japanese, d. 1802). Pair of albums; ink, or ink and light color on paper; album, closed: 28.3 x 33 cm (11 1/8 x 13 in.). Traditionally, young painters in Japan began their studies with an established master-painter. The master's compositions invariably became models that the apprentice copied to learn various ink and brush techniques. Shukuya was a pupil of the famous Kyoto artist Ikeno Taiga, whose style is reflected in these sketches of rocks, trees, and mountains.

Ming Consort Leaving the Country. Date/Period: 1100/1300. Painting. Ink on paper. Width: 160.2 cm. Height: 30.2 cm. Author: Gong Suran.

Sonan's Picture Book 1832 Onishi Chinnen Japanese. Sonan's Picture Book. Onishi Chinnen (1792-1851). Japan. 1832. Ink on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Mustard Seed Garden, a Chinese Painter's Manual Mustard Seed Garden, a Chinese Painter's Manual, 1782. Woodblock printed book, ink and color on paper, Each: 11 3/4 x 6 13/16 x 3/16 in. (29.8 x 17.3 x 0.5 cm). Asian Art 1782

A Page from the Jie Zi Yuan Original painted by Mi Youren Chinese. A Page from the Jie Zi Yuan 63218

People of Yamato (Japan) Picture Album (Yamato jinbutsu gafu), Second Series. Artist: Yamaguchi Soken (Japanese, 1759-1818). Calligrapher: Minagawa Kien (Japanese, 1734-1807). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 10 7/16 × 7 5/16 in. (26.5 × 18.5 cm). Date: 1804. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Melons late 16th century Yamada Dōan Images of fruits and vegetables were often displayed in Zen temples as symbolic offerings to Buddhist icons. Although similar images were produced earlier in Song dynasty China, ink paintings of isolated fruits or vegetables became popular in Japan during the late Muromachi period, when they were associated with the Chinese Chan (Zen) artist Muqi (ca. 1210-after 1269). A painting of this subject and size could have been displayed at tea gatherings during the summer season.Several generations of artists bore the name Dōan, although the seal Yamada-shi Dōan” may have belonged to a lord of the late 15th-16th century, when much of the country was involved in civil war. Although a member of the military elite, he could have taken religious orders and entered cultivated Zen circles, learning techniques of ink painting from artist-monks to create this depiction of melons with a minimalist approach and contrasting ink tones.. Melons 670904

Two and a child; the beginning of the 20th century (1900-00-00-1910-00-00);

Making Ceramics first half of the19th century Eiraku Hozen Hozen, the eleventh-generation master of the Nishimura family, learned pottery techniques in Kyoto and produced tea utensils prized by the Sen family of tea masters. After 1827, he sealed his works as Eiraku.” He produced a variety of fine-quality wares, most of them special orders, including blue-and-white porcelain, copies of Chinese porcelain, and Cochin-style (K?chi ware) works with polychrome glazes. One of his signature techniques was the delicate application of overglaze gold patterns (kinrande) on red ground. Furthermore, Hozen made numerous copies of Ninsei ware. He was one of the most influential ceramists in Kyoto in the nineteenth century. An amateur painter, he created this series of six hanging scrolls (18.77.2-.7) depicting the process of ceramic production.Three men at the stokehole of a roofed climbing kiln fire the kiln. Bundles of firewood in the foreground are ready to be inserted into the firebox.. Making

Summer Night, 1784. Maruyama Ōkyo (Japanese, 1733-1795). Six-panel folding screen, ink, gold, and silver on paper; image: 154 x 362 cm (60 5/8 x 142 1/2 in.). kyo painted these panoramas in the summer of 1784. Regarded as Kyoto's most important painting teacher and accomplished artist, he had studied Western painting techniques, "realistic" sketching from nature, and traditional Japanese style painting (yamato-e). The naturalistic quality of these scenes results from a blend of detailed observation of nature and a remote, even detached regard for man's place in the world.

Portrait of the twenty eight masters of armoury /Sanko nijuhachi kisho

Eighteen Rakan, 19th century, Unknown Japanese, 11 1/4 × 215 3/4 in. (28.58 × 548.01 cm) (image)11 11/16 × 238 5/8 in. (29.69 × 606.11 cm) (mount), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century, This long handscroll features a ragtag crew of misfits, some riding turtles or catfish, and often with quite unkempt appearances. They are the devout and miraculous, but eccentric followers of the Buddha known as Rakan (or Arhat in Sanskrit). This work was painted in the tradition of the late Ming-dynasty Chinese painter Wu Bin (ca. 1550-1621), whose works or those of his followers might have found their way to Nagasaki, where local painters took up Wus archaic figural style.

Landscape after a poem by Wang Wei dated 1323 Tang Di Chinese Tang Di was one of the first southern scholar-artists to revive the Northern Song landscape traditions of the tenth and eleventh centuries, and this composition is typical of the many large-scale works he produced in emulation of northern prototypes. While Northern Song masters were inclined to depict the dynamic forces of nature through richly descriptive pictorial techniques, Tang reinterpreted the style using more calligraphic conventions. Here, he uses the gnarled trees and desolate lowlands of eleventh-century masters to "illustrate" a couplet by Wang Wei (699-759): I walk to where the water endsAnd sit and watch as clouds arise. Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #7411. Landscape after a Poem by Wang Wei Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. We are working to make it available as soon as possible.. Landsc

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