Chinese Children Playing with an Elephant [left of a pair], late 18th-mid 19th century
Style of Nagasawa Rosetsuexpand_more
Ink and gold on paperexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.162.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
A throng of children, identifiable as Chinese by their clothing and hairstyles, play in and around a hulking, yet jolly, white elephant. In the left screen, children play a traditional Japanese game called kotoro-kotoro (“Capture the Child”), in which players line up behind a “parent” who flails his arms trying to keep a “demon” from capturing his “children.” Several tense parent-demon encounters can be found here.
Although Rosetsu first studied in the studio of the realist master Maruyama Ōkyo, he was famously kicked out for bad behavior. This story, in addition to offbeat compositions and occasionally unorthodox techniques, helped Rosetsu gain a reputation as an eccentric.
Details
- Title
- Chinese Children Playing with an Elephant [left of a pair]
- Artist Life
- 1754 - 1799
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.162.1
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 397
- 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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