Stone Shadows, early 19th century
Matsumoto Koryūexpand_more
Ink on paperexpand_more
Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture; formerly given to the Center by Mr. and Mrs. George Haldemanexpand_more 2013.29.342
Not on Viewexpand_more
Scratchy and rough, the writing mimics the surface of the stone, the first character of the poem. Matsumoto used a style of calligraphy called feibai (“flying white”) in which the use of a relatively dry brush results in dry, streaky strokes. The “white” refers to the paper showing through the ink. This poem is an example of wuyan jueju, a quatrain of five characters each. Matsumoto excerpted these two lines from a longer composition titled
“Remembering Zhengnanpin” by eighth-century Chinese poet Du Fu. Japanese kanshi (Chinese-style) poets studied Chinese poetry extensively and incorporated it into their own works.
石影銜珠閣
泉聲帶玉琴
Stone shadows hold the jeweled tower in the South;
The spring water's voice strums the jade qin
(Trans. adapted from Stephen Addiss)
Details
- Title
- Stone Shadows
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.29.342
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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