large frog in center and small mouse in LRC; text filling background

Toad and Mouse, late 18th - early 19th century

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Text and image coexist in this painting of a massive frog, accompanied by a small white mouse. The text surrounding the two creatures tells of a man who encounters a man wearing a monk’s robe and another in rags. The man in a monk’s robe claims that he is an old mouse and launches into a harangue about his hatred toward cats. The other man replies that he is a toad who lives underneath the main hall and has no worldly desires. The toad scolds the mouse for having foolish thoughts and urges him to purify his mind for his own good. Though little is known about Getsuju, the painter and calligrapher of this work, he wrote that he painted this “with a drunken brush,” suggesting that he had created this work at a drinking party.

Details
Title
Toad and Mouse
Artist Life
active late 18th - early 19th century
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2013.29.157
Curator Approved

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large frog in center and small mouse in LRC; text filling background