On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
The God of Good Fortune Jurōjin
Sakai Ōho Japanese
Not on view
Like Fukurokuju, another of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune he closely resembles and with whom he is often confused, Jurōjin has an elongated forehead, symbolizing great wisdom. Both Jurōjin and Fukurokuju are frequently depicted with either a crane or a deer, which, coincidentally, are also the two most commonly represented auspicious animals of the Rinpa canon. In Sakai Ōho’s version, Jurōjin is precariously mounted on a white deer as his boy attendant looks on. Felicitous paintings of holy men, sages, and poetic immortals would remain a popular theme of Rinpa artists even into the modern period. Ōho’s teacher, Sakai Hōitsu, also created paintings on this theme, sometimes as the central painting of a triptych, with compositions on floral themes flanking it. We can safely assume that this painting was the central scroll of a triptych.
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