Amusements at Cherry-Blossom Viewing Time
Artist/Culture
Miyagawa Choshun
(Japanese, 1682–1752)
DateKyoho Era (1716–1736)
Mediumpair six-panel folding screen; ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensionsoverall: 130 x 310.2 cm (51 3/16 x 122 1/8 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineHarriet B. Bancroft Fund & Stoddard Acquisition Fund
Object number1993.72.1
DescriptionRyogoku Bridge and riverbank. One of a pair of 6-panel mid-size folding screens, ink, color and gold on paperLabel TextThe pre-eminent painter of the first half of the eighteenth century, Migawa Chosun was the founder of the mainstream of ukiyo-e painting or pictures of the floating world. Known for his hanging scrolls of beautiful women and handscrolls of seasonal genre scenes, he did not design woodblock prints or illustrated books as did most artists of this school. Only one other pair of screes, in a Japanese collection, is attributed to him. These screens are marvels of execution. All the figures interact convincingly to create a sense of immediacy and relaxed merriment. The right screen depicts a cherry-blossom-viewing party at an elegant Edo tea-house. Men and women enjoy activities both indoors and out, drinking sake, playing the samisen and strolling beside the pond. The left screen represents boating on Edo's Sumida River. The famous Ryogoku Bridge, the center of the most important Edo amusement area, is shown on the far right. In the individualization and the variety of characters crossing the bridge and walking along the riverbank, these exquisite screens reveal the influence of Hishikawa Morunobu (d.1694), whom Choshun acknowledged as his stylistic source. The delicacy and elegance of line and color reveals the artist's personal style. No detail is treated summarily; attention is paid to describing textiles, lacquer, and architecture.ProvenanceLeighton Longhi, 1115 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128
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