painting; hanging scroll BM-1913-0501-0.199

Period:Unknown Production date:17thC(late)-18thC(early)
Materials:silk
Technique:painted
Subjects:author/poet
Dimensions:Height: 167 centimetres (mount) Height: 81.20 centimetres Width: 71 centimetres (mount) Width: 50.80 centimetres

Description:
Painting, hanging scroll. Tao Yuanming (J: Toemmei) viewing chrysanthemums beneath willow tree with two boy attendants. Ink and colour on silk. Signed and sealed.
IMG


Comments:Hizo Nihon bijutsu taikan Vol 3Kano Tanshin was the son of Tanyu by his second wife. The subject of the work is Tao Yuanming, a poet of Eastern Jin during the Six Dynasties period in China. He is said to have planted five willow trees in front of his home that he tended carefully, referring to himself as “Master Five Willows.” He is also known for his fondness for chrysanthemums and wine. In line with these popular traditions, the present work shows the poet viewing his chrysanthemums beneath a willow tree. The work was probably copied from a model done by Tanyu: the treatment of the human figure is uninspired, while the coarse treatment of the folds in the ground betrays the immaturity of a student hand.