Scholar Viewing a Painting [center of a triptych of Scholar with Heron and Myna], mid 17th century
Kusumi Morikageexpand_more
Ink and color on paperexpand_more
Gift of Mrs. John Crosby, Jr.expand_more 72.57.2
Not on Viewexpand_more
Japanese hanging scrolls often come in groups of three: a central figure painting flanked by birds, landscapes, or complementary figures. Kusumi Morikage made this triptych’s central figure a Chinese scholar whose servant boy holds a pole to display a hanging scroll painting of bamboo. Though unidentified, the scholar is likely Su Dongpo (1037–1101), a famous Chinese statesman, poet, and painter. Bird-and-flower paintings in an abbreviated, quasi-Chinese style complement this portrait of an ancient Chinese literary hero.
Although Kusumi Morikage never took the Kano name, he was a top student in the studio of Tan’yū (1602–1674), the Kano house’s leader, whose niece Morikage married. Their extraordinarily talented daughter, Kiyohara Yukinobu (1643–1682), was among the most prominent female painters in early modern Japan.
Details
- Title
- Scholar Viewing a Painting [center of a triptych of Scholar with Heron and Myna]
- Artist Life
- c. 1620 - 1690
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 72.57.2
- Curator Approved
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