Traditional Asian Landscapes

Elegant depictions of nature in Asian art, showcasing tranquil landscapes with flowers, trees, and seasonal elements in intricate detail and rich colors.

Chinese Beauty and Attendant, 18th century, Nakabayashi Chikutō, Japanese, 1776 - 1853, 40 13/16 × 14 3/4 in. (103.66 × 37.47 cm) (image)74 1/4 × 19 15/16 in. (188.6 × 50.64 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and light color on silk, Japan, 18th century

Quail and Autumn Flowers. Artist: Tosa Mitsuoki (Japanese, 1617-1691). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 38 1/2 x 16 3/8 in. (97.8 x 41.6 cm). Date: late 17th century.Elegant in their own right, chrysanthemums often appear together with quails in paintings. The combination was especially favored by Southern Song Chinese artists, as it signified peace and longevity. Along with chysanthemums, the depiction of other autumn flowers, such as bush clover (hagi) and Chinese bellflowers (kikyo), creates a seasonal setting for the pair of birds.The painting is signed by Tosa Mitsuoki, a master of jewel-like painting in finely executed line and brilliant color. He became an official court artist in 1654 and made concerted efforts to revive the dwindling fortunes of the Tosa school, which had been all but overshadowed by the Kano school since the Muromachi period. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Pavilion amongst Wintry Trees after Ni Zan dated 1661 Qi Zhijia Chinese Qi Zhijia, whom a contemporary described as being "addicted to calligraphy, painting, kickball, cymbal music, and opera," was a native of Shanyin, Zhejiang Province. He served briefly as an official under the Ming dynasty, but retired after the Manchu conquest of 1644, adopting the lifestyle of a scholar-recluse. Renown as a poet and calligrapher, he also excelled in landscape painting in the styles of the tenthcentury masters Dong Yuan and Juran. In this painting Qi has adopted the spare landscape idiom of the scholar-artist Ni Zan (1306-1374). Typified by an isolated grove of trees or empty pavilion set within an austere river landscape, Ni's images have long been understood as emblematic of the displacement and isolation experienced by many members of the educated elite during the disintegration of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. After the fall of the Ming, many loyalists consciously evoked Ni's pictorial imagery as a

Streams and Mountains Without End 17th century Unidentified artist. Streams and Mountains Without End. Unidentified artist. China. 17th century. Handscroll; ink and color on silk. Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Paintings

Chinese Beauty and Attendant, 18th century, Nakabayashi Chikutō, Japanese, 1776 - 1853, 40 13/16 × 14 3/4 in. (103.66 × 37.47 cm) (image)74 1/4 × 19 15/16 in. (188.6 × 50.64 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and light color on silk, Japan, 18th century

Winter landscape with fisherman late 15th-early 16th century Shi Zhong Chinese A professional painter from Nanjing, Shi Zhong was noted for his eccentric manner and unrestrained style of painting. Employing a dazzling combination of pale ink washes, dark outlines, and texture strokes, Shi's spontaneous execution led him to favor winter scenery in which his scratchy trees and jagged rocks would stand forth against the unpainted white of the paper background.On this work, the artist, who signs himself "Old Fool," has added an enigmatic poem suggesting that his spontaneous style represents an effort to attain an unencumbered naturalness:The Hall of the Xiang River immortal is as clean as water,May my brush be as truthful as that of an old fool.It seems that the waterfalls and rocks can avoid vulgarity,I, too, know that in attaining samadhi enlightenment one may achieve the divine.. Winter landscape with fisherman. Shi Zhong (Chinese, 1438-after 1506). China. late 15th-early 16th century

Literary Gathering in the Orchid Pavilion, late 1700s. Maruyama Ōkyo (Japanese, 1733-1795). Six-panel folding screen; ink and slight color on paper; image: 83 x 191.8 cm (32 11/16 x 75 1/2 in.); overall: 95.7 x 204.5 cm (37 11/16 x 80 1/2 in.); open and extended: 83 x 243 cm (32 11/16 x 95 11/16 in.).

Pheasants among Trees: Flowers of the Four Seasons probably 1560s Kano Shōei Paired pheasantssymbols of imperial elegancepose amid foliage representing all four seasons. Dandelions and violets in the right scroll suggest spring while a summertime azalea blooms nearby. The left scroll features an autumnal loquat and drying reeds alongside winter’s red-berried spear flowers. The pheasants’ plumage is highlighted in gold, befitting birds popularly associated with the deity Amaterasu, putative ancestress of the imperial family. Given this symbolic connection, this diptych may have been commissioned for an aristocrat’s household in the capital city.A leading Kano-school artist, Shōei received commissions from the Kyoto court as well as from important temples and shrines. While many of his works rely on models established by his father, Motonobu (ca. 1476-1559), the diptych’s close-up composition anticipates large-scale Kano screen painting of the Momoyama period (1573-1615).. Pheasants am

Autumn Maples with Poem Slips 1670-1680 Japan. Japanese aristocrats engaged in the elegant custom of recollecting classical poetry while viewing spring and autumn foliage. In these delicate screens, premier court painter Tosa Mitsuoki meditated on the inevitable passage of beauty by depicting the melancholy hours after the departure of reveling courtiers. A cherry tree bursts into bloom on the right screen (seen here at top), while its mate displays the brilliant red and gold foliage of maples in autumn. Slips of poetry, called tanzaku, waft from the blossoming limbs, the lingering signs of a human presence. Courtiers (whose names are recorded in a seventeenth-century document) assisted Mitsuoki by inscribing the narrow strips with quotations of appropriate seasonal poetry from twelfth- and thirteenth-century anthologies. The screens were either commissioned by or given to Tofukumoníin (1607ñ1678), a daughter of the Tokugawa shogun who married the emperor Gomizunoo (1596ñ1680). In an e

Cranes and Waves right of a pair, 1760s, Soga Shōhaku, Japanese, 1730 - 1781, 60 1/4 × 143 in. (153.04 × 363.22 cm) (image)68 1/2 × 149 in. (173.99 × 378.46 cm), Ink on paper, Japan, 18th century, Cranes, waves, and pines signify long life and evoke the realm of the immortals, the Daoist paradise Mount Hōrai (Penglai). Cranes also denote happiness and marital fidelity.

Segment of Ressen Zukan.. Naganobu, Kano, 1775-1828. 1800 - 1825. Illustrations. Spencer Collection

Talking men, dancing cranes" - mountain landscape. Dai, Jin (1388-1462), painter

Magnolia, Crabapple, and Tree Peony late 17th-early 18th century China Embroidery is an excellent medium for rendering the sheen of flower petals and the glossiness of leaves, and because of its labor intensiveness, it was sometimes considered more expensive and desirable than painting. Flowers and plants are popular themes in Chinese art and most have auspicious meanings. Here, the combination of magnolia, crabapple blossom, and tree peony implies fortune at a jade hall” (yu tang fu gui).. Magnolia, Crabapple, and Tree Peony. China. late 17th-early 18th century. Silk embroidery on silk gauze. Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Textiles-Embroidered

Landscape, second half 18th century, Kimura Kenkadō, Japanese, 1736 - 1802, 10 1/16 × 19 1/2 in. (25.56 × 49.53 cm) (sheet, fan)13 × 23 1/16 in. (33.02 × 58.58 cm) (mount), ink on paper sized with mica, Japan, 18th century, Kimura Kenkadō was an influential figure in the literati painting circles in and around Osaka. He was not only known to be an admirer of the arts, but also hosted art gatherings and offered painters a place to share and exhibit their works.

Artist: Shen Wuji, Chinese, ca. 1620-1660, Red Camellia, Plum, Bamboo, and WildBirds, mid-17thcentury, Hanging scroll: ink and color on silk, without mounting: 62 3/16 × 26 15/16 in. (158 × 68.5cm), B. D. G. LevitonFoundation, China, Chinese, Late Ming dynasty (1368-1644) or early Qing dynasty(1644-1911), Paintings

Scene 6b. handscrolls. 1660. Spencer Collection. Manuscripts, Japanese

Knights on steep coastal cIIffs YOSHIKAZU, UTAGAWA (FL. 1850 1870)

Merry Gatherings in the Magic Jar Gong Kai Chinese. Merry Gatherings in the Magic Jar. Gong Kai (Chinese, 1222-after 1304). China. Handscroll; ink on paper. Song dynasty (960-1279). Paintings

Crane, Tortoise, Pine, and Bamboo under a Rising Sun 17th-18th century Kano Chikanobu Japanese. Crane, Tortoise, Pine, and Bamboo under a Rising Sun. Kano Chikanobu (Japanese, 1660-1728). Japan. 17th-18th century. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Edo period (1615-1868). Paintings

White and Red Plum Blossom, 1546, Wang Guxiang, Chinese, 1501-1568, 11 3/4 x 127 1/4 in. (29.85 x 323.22 cm) (image), Ink and color on paper, China, 16th century, Wang Guxiang was born into an eminent family of doctors. Excelling in ancient prose, poetry, and calligraphy, he was tutored by the great literatus Wen Zhengming, and in 1529 passed the jinshi (doctorate) examination and entered government service. When his official career ended prematurely in 1534, Wang returned to Suzhou and began an artistic career with other Wu school literati centered around Wen Zhengming.

Bird on a Rock by a Flowering Branch. Artist: Ren Xun (Chinese, 1835-1893). Culture: China. Dimensions: 7 x 20 7/8 in. (17.8 x 53.0 cm). Date: dated 1879.Ren Xun painted this delicate fan in Suzhou, where he spent a good part of his artistic career before going to Shanghai. This work draws upon the highly representational style of the Southern Song (1127-1279) Imperial Painting Academy, merging exquisite drawing in fine contour lines with meticulously graded colored washes in a highly naturalistic image of great charm. The painting reflects Ren's keen observation of nature: a tiny bird, perched on one foot on an ornamental garden rock, bends its head to meet its uplifted foot, using wings and tail to maintain balance. Compared to his Song academic predecessors, Ren Xun brings his image closer to the viewer, cropping the bird's tail and the tree trunk, giving his picture immediacy and impact. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Reading Books in the Waterside Pavilion, first half 19th century, Okada Hankō, Japanese, 1782 - 1846, 9 15/16 × 4 1/2 in. (25.24 × 11.43 cm) (image)32 1/4 × 9 7/16 in. (81.92 × 23.97 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century

Landscape late 19th-early 20th century Kakuho Japanese. Landscape. Kakuho. Japan. late 19th-early 20th century. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Meiji period (1868-1912). Paintings

Scene from the Chushihgura (Vendetta of the 47 Loyal Retailers). Artist: Torii Kiyomine (Japanese, 1787-1868). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 15 in. (38.1 cm); W. 30 in. (76.2 cm). Date: ca. 1820. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Bamboo in Rain; Bamboo in Wind, early 1500s. Genga (Japanese). Hanging scroll; ink on silk; East Asian paintings from China, Korea, and Japan were frequently conceived as sets of multiple images. These sets might have been composed for specific palace or temple rooms, or to portray a specific theme, such as the four seasons. Over time, the original intent of such sets is often lost through damage, changes in ownership, or a variety of other reasons. The identity of the artist can also be lost, but then, sometimes, retrieved. This pair of ink paintings has traditionally been labeled as Japanese and attributed to the 16th-century painter Genga. Since there are no seals or signature of the artist on the painting, this attribution was based on comparisons of brush style with paintings known to be by Genga. More recent study indicates that while the 16th century is an appropriate time frame for the pair, the precise cultural identity of the artist is not certain after all. The dark, eccent

The Poet Lin Bu Wandering in the Moonlight, late 1400s. Du Jin (Chinese, 1446-c. 1519). Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; image: 156.4 x 72.4 cm (61 9/16 x 28 1/2 in.); overall: 286.4 x 99 cm (112 3/4 x 39 in.).

Winter: The Sumida River in Snow. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japan, Edo, 1797-1858). Japan, circa 1832-1834. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

House with Woman and Baby late 19th century Shibata Zeshin Japanese. House with Woman and Baby 75165

Scholar-recluse in blue-green landscape 1633 Chen Hongshou Chinese Between the ages of ten and twenty, Chen Hongshou studied painting in Hangzhou with the professional artist Lan Ying (1585-1664), with whom he must have trained by copying Song and Song-style pictures in the local Zhejiang tradition. In his mature years, however, Chen played on the mannerisms and formal distortions of contemporary Song imitations, turning the debased features of this worn-out tradition into elements of a new archaism infused with a highly personal sense of ironic melancholy.In this monumental landscape Chen alludes to the antique blue-and-green style in his use of flat planes of color, patterned foliage, and boldly contoured trees and rocks. Yet the exaggerated landscape forms and stylized banks of mist accentuate the unreality of the archaic conventions, emphasizing the isolation of the sensitively drawn gentleman and his attendant, whose presence gives the scene a troubling psychological edge.. Schola

Egrets, Peonies, and Willows early 19th century Yamamoto Baiitsu Japanese A pair of herons pause in shallow water beneath a drooping willow branch and tall stems of flowering plants, painted in the boneless” manner, with limited ink outline and pale wash. Yamamoto Baiitsu mingled with Kyoto literati circles but also sought varied artistic influences in the work of Chinese painter Shen Nanpin (Shen Quan, 1682-1758), who worked in Japan from 1731 to 1733, and other Chinese artists known in Japan. He transformed what he learned into an idiosyncratic style characterized by a sensuous surface quality and serene clarity. Distinctive to his technique was an inclination to use ink in the same manner in which colors were customarily applied—not only for linear brushwork but also for soft washes. Skillfully combining ink wash with washes of color and well-defined, sinuous contours, he contributed a lyrical, intimate vision of nature to Literati (Nanga) painting.. Egrets, Peonies, and Willows. Y

Jinshan Island and West Lake 1630 Kano Sanraku Though united visually by an ink landscape of rugged mountains and islands among expanses of water and mists rendered in gold wash, this pair of screens depicts two wholly separate scenic locales in eastern China. At right is Jinshan, an island located in the middle of the Yangzi River near the town of Zhenjiang in southern Jiangsu province. The islands many bridges, walkways, and paths are traversed by people from all walks of life—scholars, fisherman, and servants, among others—perhaps on their way to one of the temple halls scattered across the rugged terrain. The left screen meanwhile is a portrayal of West Lake, a storied site 150 miles south in the city of Hangzhou, whose city walls and gate can be seen in the lower-left foreground. Sanraku also incorporates into the landscape several of the Ten Views of West Lake, a set of poetic themes that first came into vogue in China during the twelfth century. A student and adopted son of Mom

Urashima Taro Going Home on the Back of a Tai Fish, the King of the Sea Seeing Him Off 19th century Totoya Hokkei Japanese. Urashima Taro Going Home on the Back of a Tai Fish, the King of the Sea Seeing Him Off 54029

Japan: 'Peonies and a Red-billed Blue Magpie'. Hanging scroll painting by Kakutei (1722-1786), 1769. Kakutei (1722 - 23 January 1786) was a Japainese painter from Nagasaki, who was part of the Nanpin school of painting, which was influenced by Chinese art and culture. He became an ordained Obaku monk, and moved to Kyoto and Osaka, where he thrived artistically.

White-robed Kannon, from a set of White-robed Kannon with Landscape and Tiger, 17th century, Kano Tan'yū, Japanese, 1602 - 1674, 47 15/16 x 19 13/16 in. (121.76 x 50.32 cm) (image)85 3/8 x 26 1/4 in. (216.85 x 66.68 cm) (overall, without roller), Ink on paper, Japan, 17th century

Bird late 15th century After Kenk Shkei. Bird. After Kenk Shkei (Japanese, active ca. 1478-ca. 1523). Japan. late 15th century. Paint on paper. Muromachi period (1392-1573). Paintings

Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 1828-90 Eugène Cicéri French. Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 358561

Fragment textile. Textile fragment, embroidery of the three friends on damask.

Roll painting, anonymous, 1800 - 1900 A yotaka, a layer of prostitute with a rolled up mat under the left arm. In wooden box. Japan paper A yotaka, a layer of prostitute with a rolled up mat under the left arm. In wooden box. Japan paper

Birds and Flowers. Artist: Unidentified Artist Korean. Culture: Korea. Dimensions: Image (each panel): 54 3/8 x 10 3/8 in. (138.1 x 26.4 cm)Overall: 73 5/8 in. × 11 ft. 3/8 in. (187 × 336.2 cm). Date: late 19th-early 20th century.Paintings of birds and flowers have a long tradition in East Asian art. In Korea folding screens depicting combinations of birds and flowers became prevalent in the late Joseon period and continued to be popular in the twentieth century. Carefully composed and meticulously detailed, the scenes in this colorful and exquisitely painted screen are characterized by heightened realism. Each panel portrays one or more pairs of birds resting on or flying around a blossoming plant, a tree, or reeds. The rightmost panel also includes a hen with her chicks under a rock. The symbolism of male-female pairings of birds--mandarin ducks, for example, are known to mate for life--made such screens suitable decoration for wedding ceremonies or a bridal chamber. Beyond domest

Buddhistic Mythological Scene Ink on paper, 22 x 12 in. (55.9 x 30.5 cm). Asian Art

Paintings by Japanese scholars on a paper wall, Shoji, Kennin-ji, Kenninji Temple, Komatsucho, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Piece 19th century Japan. Piece. Japan. 19th century. Silk. Edo (1615-1868) or Meiji period (1868-1912). Textiles

Small Fishes ca. 1890-92 Seki Shūkō Japanese. Small Fishes 54754

Japan, Tanaka Heijiro, Hiroshige (I), Utagawa, Japanese Bush Warbler on Plum Branch, with haiku, print, prints, Japan (collection), height 356 mm, width 115 mm, Japanese, 1797 - 1858, print maker, printmaker, 1843 - 1844, second quarter 19th century, paper, nishiki-e, colour woodcut, colour woodblock, censor

Landscape, 17th-18th century, Tsurusawa Tangei, 15 × 18 7/8 in. (38.1 × 47.94 cm) (image)43 3/8 × 22 11/16 in. (110.17 × 57.63 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink on silk, Japan, 17th-18th century

Quiet Life in a Wooded Glen. Wang Meng (); Chinese, c. 1308-1385. Date: 1361. Dimensions: 177.8 × 64.2 cm (70 × 25 1/4 in.). Hanging scroll; ink and light colors on paper. Origin: China. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Teasing the Cat 1888 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Japanese. Teasing the Cat 55919

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

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 67484

Flowers and Leaves. Artist: Shibata Zeshin (Japanese, 1807-1891). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Overall: 13 x 23 5/8 in. (33 x 60 cm)Image: 7 1/2 x 20 7/8 in. (19.1 x 53 cm). Date: late 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Orchid Pavilion Gathering; Autumn Harvest Festival ca. 1763 Ike Taiga This pair of screens by Ike Taiga, one of Japans most prominent literati painters, depicts two Chinese themes: the Orchid Pavilion Gathering on the right screen and, on the left screen, the Autumn Harvest Festival. A Tang-dynasty poem attributed to Wang Jia (born 851) and inscribed above in Taigas own calligraphy reads:At the foot of Mount Ohu, the rice and millet are fat.Pigs are in their pens, the chickens in their coops; The door to the house has been left ajar.The Autumn Festival is over, and in the evening Mulberry leaves cast long shadows.from every house tipsy men return, holding each other up.—Trans. adapted from Stephen D. Allee. Orchid Pavilion Gathering; Autumn Harvest Festival. Ike Taiga (Japanese, 1723-1776). Japan. ca. 1763. Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Screens

The fisherman Hakuryo and Mount Fuji. Date: 1770-1820. Origin: Japan. Period: Edo period. Color on paper. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Ten Symbols ofLongevity

Iris and Insect. Yamamoto Baiitsu (Japan, 1783-1856). Japan, 1830s-1856. Paintings; scrolls. One from a pair of hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper

China/Taiwan: Detail of a battle between wokou pirates and Ming Dynasty forces from the scroll painting 'Ming Qiu Shizhou Taiwan zoukai tu' (Victory in Taiwan by Qiu Shizhou of the Ming), Qiu Ying (1494-c.1559)

Two Courtesans After Okumura Masanobu Japanese. Two Courtesans 57144

Landscape with Man Crossing Bridge Fan Hong Chinese. Landscape with Man Crossing Bridge 51607

Birds and Flowers, mid-1400s-early 1500s. Attributed to Sesshū Tōyō (Japanese, 1420-1506). Hanging scroll from a triptych; ink and color on silk; image: 55.9 x 53.4 cm (22 x 21 in.); overall: 117 x 58 cm (46 1/16 x 22 13/16 in.).

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong period (1736-95) View more. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong period (1736-95). Prints

Old Scholar and MindLandscape. Artist: Ike no Taiga, Japanese, 1723-1776

A painting in the form of a vertical scroll centrally a fenghuang bird sitting on a protruding rock unknown

Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 1760-1849 Katsushika Hokusai Japanese Abe no Nakamaro (698-770) composed this poem in China, in his longing for home:Amanoharafurisake mirebaKasuga naruMikasa no yama niideshi tsuki ka moIt might be the moon that shone above Mount Mikasa in Nara that I see in this faraway land when now I look across the vast fields of the stars.. Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 56175

Painting reproduction: Hotei and Daikoku Katsushika, hokusai (1760 1849)

China: 'The Sixteen Luohans'. Detail (2, middle left) of handscroll painting by Wu Bin (active 1583-1626), 1591. Wu Bin (active 1583-1626), nickname Zhiyin Toutuo and social name Wenzhong, was a Chinese painter born in Putian during the Ming Dynasty period, under the reign of the Wanli Emperor. He worked mainly in Nanjing, and was a devout Buddhist, living and working in a Buddhist temple, where he produced hundreds of hanging scrolls depicting arhats and luohans.

Entertainment Scene, c. 1710-53. Miyagawa Chōshun (Japanese, 1683-1753). Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk; image: 56.4 x 135.5 cm (22 3/16 x 53 3/8 in.); overall: 175 x 144.7 cm (68 7/8 x 56 15/16 in.); with knobs: 175 x 154.9 cm (68 7/8 x 61 in.).

Pavilion on a pond 16th or 17th century Unidentified artist An elaborate pleasure pavilion sits on the shores of a pond. Beneath the eaves, a man is attended by servants as he sits in front of a screen; on the veranda, two men converse under a trellis by blossoming flowers. The fantastically shaped rocks, low stone bridge, and distant buildings across the water reveal that this refuge is a lavish garden: a lovingly designed simulation of nature made for human enjoyment.. Pavilion on a pond 51391

The Great Battle of Ansong Ford: The Valor of Captain Matsuzaki. Date/Period: Meiji Period, dated 1894. Print. Tryptich woodblock print, ink and colors on paper Tryptich woodblock print, ink and colors on paper. Height: 14.75 mm (0.58 in); Width: 29 mm (1.14 in). Author: Toshikata Mizuno.

Autumn Landscape with Herons and Ducks. Artist: Lü Ji (Chinese, active late 15th century). Culture: China. Dimensions: Image: 58 1/8 x 21 1/2 in. (147.6 x 54.6 cm)Overall with mounting: 106 1/4 x 27 1/2 in. (269.9 x 69.9 cm)Overall with knobs: 106 1/4 x 30 in. (269.9 x 76.2 cm).Lü Ji, a professional painter from Zhejiang Province, worked in the Southern Song (1127-1279) ink-wash style, which had remained popular in that region through the intervening centuries. He was summoned to be a court painter in the Hongzhi period (1488-1505) and was given an honorary title as an officer in the imperial guard. The artist's paintings, done in a dashing descriptive style that was highly regarded at court, were derided by Shen Zhou (1427-1509), the leading scholar-painter of the time, as being merely works "of the hand"; Shen considered his own calligraphic drawings to be products "of the heart." The contrast between the hand and the heart highlights the presumed difference between the works of t

Hermit-Fisherman on a Spring River dated 1632 Lan Ying Chinese Known as the last major Zhe School professional painter, the Hangzhou artist Lan Ying was sufficiently influenced by late Ming scholar-painting aesthetics to have devoted most of his creative energy to painting in the idioms of the Song and Yuan masters. In this self-titled work, for example, Lan invokes the theme of life in reclusion celebrated in many paintings by Yuan scholar-artists.Unlike the works of the Wu School scholar-painters, however, Lan Yings paintings emphasize technical virtuosity and coloristic effects. Lans expressive drawing and bold use of color influenced a number of younger painters, including Chen Hongshou (1598-1652).. Hermit-Fisherman on a Spring River. Lan Ying (Chinese, 1585-ca. 1664). China. dated 1632. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Paintings

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 67172

The Four Seasons, 1668. Kano Tanyū (Japanese, 1602-1674). Pair of six-panel folding screens, ink and slight color on paper; overall: 174 x 381 cm (68 1/2 x 150 in.). Tan'y?'s skills were honed early within the regimen of the Kano family's painting studio. His grandfather, Eitoku (1543-1590) was the Momoyama period's most sought-after painter, a champion of colorful, large-scale painting compositions who worked for several of the country's most powerful leaders. When the young Tan'y? was summoned to Edo in 1617 by the shogun to become a member of the new capital's official painting studio, few opportunities to work on similarly ambitious projects existed. Yet by the end of his career, Tan'y? had supervised the execution and installation of linked mural painting compositions in several of Japan's most prestigious residences and castles. As an official court painter to the first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (reigned 1603-5), and then his successors, Tan'y? appears to have successfully juggle

Birds and Flowers, first half 19th century, Unknown Korean, 59 × 120 1/2 in. (149.86 × 306.07 cm) (image)77 1/2 × 143 1/8 × 3/8 in. (196.85 × 363.54 × 0.95 cm) (including mount)59 × 15 1/16 in. (149.86 × 38.26 cm) (panel, each image ), Ink and color on silk, Korea, 19th century, An incredible variety of birdsducks, pheasants, parrots, and otherspose and cavort among an equally diverse array of flowers, including lilies, peonies, chrysanthemums, and white and pink plum blossoms. Specific combinations of birds and flowers are almost always symbolic and auspicious. The ducks paired with camellias in the fourth panel from the right, for example, are emblematic of an enduring marriage.

Ghost and Oil Lamp, 1810. Tani Bun'ichi (Japanese, 1787-1818). Hanging scroll, ink, color, and gold on silk; painting only: 109.2 x 48.9 cm (43 x 19 1/4 in.); including mounting: 187.3 x 65.4 cm (73 3/4 x 25 3/4 in.). Tani Bunichi was the adopted son of Tani Buncho (1763-1840), a master painter and connoisseur. A Bunichi painting remarkably similar to this one that depicts a ghost by a lacquer lamp stand, is in the collection the Tokyo temple Zensho-an. That painting once belonged to Sanyutei Encho (1839-1900), a famed raconteur of ghost stories who donated his collection of ghost paintings to the temple. An inscription in gold on the lamp stand in this painting, identical in content to that on the Zensho-an painting, indicates that it was executed in the 12th month of 1810. Bunichi explains that he did not like painting ghosts, but tried it out after listening to a person by the name of Ono.

Monkeys in a Cherry Tree; Monkeys on a Rock Ledge, c. 1800-1821. Mori Sosen (Japanese, 1747-1821). Hanging scroll, mounted and framed, ink and color on silk; overall: 121.7 x 63.5 cm (47 15/16 x 25 in.).

Rough Waves. Artist: Ogata Korin (Japanese, 1658-1716). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 57 11/16 x 65 1/8 in. (146.5 x 165.4 cm)Overall: 59 1/4 x 66 1/2 in. (150.5 x 168.9 cm). Date: ca. 1704-9.Many artists and poets of the East and West alike have striven to capture the transitory and fleeting image of swelling waves. Korin's rendition--one of Japan's most striking representations of this amorphous, ungraspable form--has a strangely menacing feel, due no doubt to the long, tentacle-like fingers of foam, punctured here and there by openings. Outlined in ink using the ancient Chinese technique of drawing with two brushes held together in one hand, the clawlike waves are peculiarly reminiscent of dragons' talons. The immediate inspiration for the screen may have been images by Sesson Shukei (ca. 1504-ca. 1589), whose extant works include a number of dynamic and mysterious renderings of waves.The screen bears a seal reading "Dosu," the name Korin adopted in 1704. Recent research sug

Fish and rocks. Artist: Bada Shanren (Zhu Da) (Chinese, 1626-1705). Culture: China. Dimensions: Image: 53 1/4 x 24 in. (135.3 x 61 cm)Overall with mounting: 92 1/2 x 31 1/2 in. (235 x 80 cm)Overall with knobs: 92 1/2 x 34 1/4 in. (235 x 87 cm). Date: dated 1699.To disguise his identity, Zhu Da, a scion of the Ming imperial family, took refuge in a Buddhist temple after the Manchu conquest of 1644. About 1680 he renounced his status as a monk and began producing paintings and calligraphy in order to support himself. In 1684 he took the biehao (artistic name) Bada Shanren (Mountain Man of the Eight Greats). A staunch Ming loyalist throughout his life, Bada used painting as a means of protest. His is the poignant voice of the yimin, the leftover subjects of the fallen dynasty.This painting is typical of the bold enigmatic images that Zhu Da produced during the last twenty years of his life. The seemingly innocuous subject, a garden pond framed by two ornamental rocks, becomes, in Zhu

Hollyhocks and Prince's-Feather Flowers. Artist: Sakai Oho (Japanese, 1808-1841). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 40 1/2 in. × 14 in. (102.9 × 35.6 cm)Overall with mounting: 76 1/8 × 19 7/16 in. (193.3 × 49.3 cm)Overall with knobs: 76 1/8 × 21 5/16 in. (193.3 × 54.1 cm). Date: early 19th century.Many paintings by Sakai Oho, including this one, are based on or directly inspired by the work of Sakai Hoitsu, his adoptive father and teacher. Hoitsu no doubt had great aspirations for Oho, but he died in his early thirties and left a comparatively small body of work. Hollyhocks (tachiaoi)--with their stately appearance, tall stems, and symmetrical arrays of leaves and blossoms--were a common subject of Rinpa artists from the seventeenth century onward, but prince's-feather flowers (katade) rarely received such attention. The addition of a little butterfly, flat and decorative in its effect, is a reminder that the artist was capturing a poetic moment, a haiku-like snapshot of an imagina

Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Procession of Daoist Deities: Leaf 12 , 1200s. China, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). Album, ink on paper; sheet: 34.2 x 38.4 cm (13 7/16 x 15 1/8 in.).

Gazing at a Waterfall by a Pine Bluff. Date: 16th century. Origin: China. Period: Ming dynasty. Hanging scroll; ink on silk. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion. Artist: Qian Gu (Chinese, 1508-ca. 1578). Culture: China. Dimensions: Image: 9 1/2 x 171 1/2 in. (24.1 x 435.6 cm)Overall with mounting: 9 3/4 x 491 3/8 in. (24.8 x 1248.1 cm). Date: datable to 1560.In 353, the renowned calligrapher Wang Xizhi (307-365) and his friends met at the Orchid Pavilion (at Shanyin, in modern Zhejiang Province) to celebrate the spring festival of purification. Sitting by a stream, they held a poetry competition. When the time was up, eleven men had finished two poems, and fifteen had finished one; the sixteen who failed to come up with anything (among them, Wang's son Xianzhi) were penalized by having to drink three additional cups of wine. In Qian Gu's representation of this famous literary event, cups of wine float downstream as the poets, lined up on both sides, drink freely and struggle to complete their poems.Orphaned at an early age, Qian Gu did not receive a formal education until adulthood, when he became a pupil of

Summer Mountains (after Dong Yuan active about ad 937-975), 1290-1354. Attributed to Huang Gongwang (Chinese, 1269-1354). Hanging scroll, ink and slight color on silk; image: 131.7 x 55.6 cm (51 7/8 x 21 7/8 in.); overall: 257.4 x 71.2 cm (101 5/16 x 28 1/16 in.).

Swallow Kano Tsunenobu Japanese. Swallow. Kano Tsunenobu (Japanese, 1636-1713). Japan. One of a triptych of hanging scrolls; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Paintings

Poem by Gon-Chūnagon Sadaie, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 1760-1849 Katsushika Hokusai Japanese One of Hokusai's most dramatic prints liberates the strong emotion compressed into this single stanza by Gochūnagon Teika (Fujiwara Sadaie, 1162-1241):Konu hito soMatsuho no ura noyuu nagi niyaku ya mo shiho no mi mo kogaretsutsuWaiting for one who does not come my passion burns as the unceasing fires beneath the salt-pans around Matsuho Bay.Teika, one of Japan's greatest poets and critics compiled the first collection of one hundred poems by one hundred poets.. Poem by Gon-Chūnagon Sadaie, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) 56157

Beggars Unidentified artist. Beggars. Unidentified artist Chinese, after Zhou Chen (ca 1455-after 1536). China. Handscroll; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911) or Modern. Paintings

Calligraphic Plaque of "Doamjae" Yi, Pu-nam (Style name: Chong-san). 19th century. Ink on paper, 13 x 34 in. (33.0 x 86.4 cm). Asian Art 19th century

Sketch Model for Portraits of Ashikaga Takauji, 1615-1868. Japan, Edo period (1615-1868). Ink and color on paper; overall: 38.8 x 55 cm (15 1/4 x 21 5/8 in.).

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 67717

Utagawa Hiroshige; Fujiokaya Hikotarô / 'Restaurante Tamaya en la puerta trasera del santuario de Kameido (Kameido uramon Tamaya)', 1838-1840, Japanese School, Paper, 235 mm x 363 mm, G05662. Museum: MUSEO DEL PRADO, MADRID, SPAIN.

Kleine Koekoek, 1908 - 1909 book. magazine Seven editions from the years 1908-1909 of the literary monthly magazine Hototogisu, where many different writers and artists have participated. paper letterpress printing / color woodcut

Mythical landscape with immortals. Artist: Unidentified Artist Chinese, 18th century. Culture: China. Dimensions: Overall (a): 17 3/4 x 65 in. (45.1 x 165.1 cm). Date: 19th century.This imposing set of ten silk tapestries depicts a mountainscape of magic and wonder. In the center, assembled scholars gaze up at a group of cloud-borne female immortals as they descend to the earthly realm. Waves surge with numinous intensity as auspicious cranes circle and mystical deer prance through the hills. The blue-green color palette reinforces the sense of a world inhabited by mystical forces. These colorful tapestries were created using the kesi technique, in which the picture is created by laboriously weaving in individual threads of different-colored silk, though their makers painted many of the details after weaving to speed up the process. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Panel, Medium: silk Technique: embroidered on satin weave, Vertical panel of white satin embroidered in multicolored silks in a design of landscape scenes. At bottom is lotus and bamboo. Above is a pagoda over the water where a woman and child sit watching a boat with two passengers and a boatman. Above this, are small group of trees, rocks, birds, etc. At center is a group of two women with basket and staff. Above them is a fisherman. At top, fragments of landscape with a portion of a tree with feathery foliage, clouds and a flying bird., China, 18th century, embroidery & stitching, Panel

Emperor Xuanzong's Journey to Sichuan; this section of a much larger Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Chinese handscroll painting on silk shows Tang Minghuang, or Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, fleeing the capital Chang'an and the violence of the An Shi Rebellion that began in the year 755 during the mid Tang Dynasty. This handscroll painting is a late Ming copy after an original painting by the renowned Ming artist Qiu Ying (1494-1552).

A woodcut illustration depicting the process of bleaching, with the beat of the Kinuta (fuller's mallet) noted as one of the delightful sounds of Autumn evenings., 1768

Dragon, Clouds and Waves Dragon, Clouds and Waves, 16th-17th century. Ink on hemp cloth, 11 3/4 x 13 1/2 in. (29.8 x 34.3 cm). Asian Art 16th-17th century

Momoyogusa = Flowers of a Hundred Generations., Kamisaka, Sekka, (Artist), Date Issued: 1909.

Table Frontal, 19th century, 21 5/8 x 38 5/8in. (54.9 x 98.1cm), Embroidered satin, China, 19th century

The Warrior Asahina Yoshihide Lifting a Puppet of a Courtesan on a Go Board mid-18th century Torii Kiyoshige This bizarre but intriguing ukiyo-e painting shows the famous medieval warrior Asahina Yoshihide balancing a puppet of an early Edo-period courtesan on a thick wooden go game board. A young female attendant holds one of Asahinas hairy legs steady while he performs this muscular act of derring-do. A retainer of the Minamoto clan who fought with family members in a revolt against H?j? shogunal regents in 1213, Asahina was a historical figure of note. But he is better remembered through literary accounts as the son of the female warrior Tomoe Gozen and through his regular representation in kabuki plays as a warrior of superhuman strength. Asahinas crest was a crane motif, as seen here, but if the scene is based on theater, the kabuki play that inspired it has yet to be discovered.. The Warrior Asahina Yoshihide Lifting a Puppet of a Courtesan on a Go Board. Torii Kiyoshige (Japan

Waves at Matsushima. Date/Period: 17th century. Painting. Ink, color, gold and silver on paper. Height: 167 cm (65.7 in); Width: 369.9 cm (12.1 ft). Author: TAWARAYA SOTATSU.

Blossoming Cherry Trees ca. 1805 Sakai Hitsu Paintings of cherry trees in isolation are surprisingly rare, considering they are the quintessential symbol of Japan. The cherry tree serves in literature and painting as an emblem of spring or an allusion to certain famous sites (meisho) such as Yoshino, near Nara. This small-screen composition—which originally probably lacked the wide silver band at the bottom—illustrates Sakai Hitsu’s unerring sense of space, created here by an expanse of gold leaf. Hitsu, an ardent admirer of the Kyoto artist Ogata Krin (1658-1716), strove to transplant the Rinpa aesthetic to Edo. Hitsu was trained in painting as well as in the literary arts of haikai (seventeen-syllable seasonal verse) and kyka (thirty-one-syllable witty verse). His immersion in haikai, with its sensitivity to the seasons, is reflected in his attention to individual floral subjects not central to the traditional repertory of mainstream painting studios.. Blossoming Cherry Trees.

Picture Made 1701-1800 China. Silk, combined twill weave; embroidered with silk in knot, single satin, satin and stem stitches; painted; edges with silk and cotton, satin damask weave .

One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei). Artist: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1760-1849 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: each: 8 15/16 × 6 1/4 in. (22.7 × 15.8 cm). Date: 1834; 1835; ca. 1849. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

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