unsigned; left of a pair of six-panel folding screens; many scenes against gold leaf background; edge of building on left panel with snow; building at top across panels three to six the many seated figures wearing black with a few wearing red and blue; procession in LR of panels five and six with figures in black carrying covered dias and pulling two green carriages behind

Autumn and Winter [left of the pair Scenes from the Tale of Genji in the Four Seasons], mid 17th century

expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

This pair of screens depicts 11 scenes from The Tale of Genji. Rather than presenting the scenes in the order in which they appear in the story, however, the artist presents them in seasonal order from right to left, as Japanese viewers would read them. The artist begins with mid-spring in the upper right corner, where a group of young men play kemari (a game similar to hacky sack) in a grove of cherry trees in full bloom, a scene from chapter 34. Five additional scenes in the right screen take place in late spring and early summer. In the far right panels of the left screen, autumn grasses and maple leaves announce the arrival of fall. Wintry scenes from chapters 6 and 51 are depicted at far left, where trees and rooftops are blanketed in snow.

Explore
Details
Title
Autumn and Winter [left of the pair Scenes from the Tale of Genji in the Four Seasons]
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2013.29.14.1
Provenance
John Yeon; Carlos A. Quiros Richard Louis Brown until 6/1/1995 Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture, 1995-2015
Curator Approved

This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

unsigned; left of a pair of six-panel folding screens; many scenes against gold leaf background; edge of building on left panel with snow; building at top across panels three to six the many seated figures wearing black with a few wearing red and blue; procession in LR of panels five and six with figures in black carrying covered dias and pulling two green carriages behind