Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Bugaku Dances (front); Chinese Lions (reverse)

early 18th century
Not on view
Across the gold expanse of the reverse side of these large screens, nine Chinese lions (karajishi) gambol and playfully wrestle. Chinese lions are auspicious symbols of power in East Asian visual culture, and throughout Japan’s Momoyama (1573–1615) and Edo periods they were frequently found on screens or sliding-door panels in elite samurai residences, castles, or temples. The dynamic brushwork inspired by Kano painters, especially Tan’yū (1602–1674)—whether the jagged curves in dark ink or the swirls of the tails in grayish tones—shows Hanabusa Itchō at the height of his artistic powers following his return from exile in 1709. On the front side are colorful depictions of court dances (bugaku), in a hyper-meticulous but very traditional mode. This set of screens, revealing two of Itchō’s stylistic capabilities, is said to be the artist’s most expensive commission—possibly made for one of his top patrons in 1713.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 英一蝶筆　舞楽図・唐獅子図屏風
  • Title: Bugaku Dances (front); Chinese Lions (reverse)
  • Artist: Hanabusa Itchō (Japanese, 1652–1724)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: early 18th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Pair of six-panel screens; ink, color, and gold leaf on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 65 1/8 in. × 14 ft. 2 5/8 in. (165.4 × 433.4 cm)
    Overall: 72 3/16 in. × 14 ft. 7 3/8 in. (183.3 × 445.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.268.57, .58
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Bugaku Dancers, Kano Yasunobu Japanese, Six-panel screen; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper, Japan
Bugaku Dancers
Kano Yasunobu
Jizō Bosatsu, Hanabusa Itchō Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold paint on paper, Japan
Jizō Bosatsu
Hanabusa Itchō
1667–98
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries
Rough Waves, Ogata Kōrin Japanese, Two-panel folding screen; ink, color, and gold leaf on paper, Japan
Rough Waves
Ogata Kōrin
ca. 1704–9
Case (Inrō) with Design of Monkeys Trying to get Persimmons with Stick (obverse); Hawk in Persimmon Tree (reverse), Hanabusa Itchō Japanese, Lacquer, roiro, gold, silver, brown and red hiramakie, various inlay; Interior: nashiji and fundame, Japan
Case (Inrō) with Design of Monkeys Trying to get Persimmons with Stick (obverse); Hawk in Persimmon Tree (reverse)
Hanabusa Itchō
18th–19th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.