ticketsMember | Make a donation

Autumn Ivy

Ogata Kenzan Japanese
after 1732
Not on view
Born into Kyoto’s cultured merchant class, Kenzan was best known for his ceramic wares but was also a highly regarded calligrapher. Kenzan’s individualistic, expressive inscription of a poem referring to future winds scattering crimson leaves of ivy, recalls a famous scene from the tenth-century Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari), in which a courtier, exiled from the capital, encounters an itinerant monk on an ivy- strewn path on Mount Utsu.

Kakaru shimo
waga aki naranu
matsukaze y
chiru o urami no
tsuta no momijiba

Though not yet
winds through the pines
blow all around
and I dread they’ll scatter
the crimson leaves of ivy.
–Trans. John T. Carpenter

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 蔦紅葉図
  • Title: Autumn Ivy
  • Artist: Ogata Kenzan (Japanese, 1663–1743)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: after 1732
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Album leaf mounted as a hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 8 3/8 x 10 7/8 in. (21.3 x 27.6 cm)
    Overall: 44 7/8 x 22 1/4 in. (114 x 56.5 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: 1975.268.67
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Writer's Box, Ogata Kenzan Japanese, Clay with crackled glaze, decorated on outside and inside (Kyoto ware, Kenzan style), Japan
Writer's Box
Ogata Kenzan
Water Pot, Ogata Kenzan Japanese, Clay covered with white and black glazes and decorated on the white parts under the glaze (Kenzan style), Japan
Water Pot
Ogata Kenzan
18th century
Camellia by Water, Ogata Kenzan Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Camellia by Water
Ogata Kenzan
dated 1741
Bellflowers in Basket, Ogata Kenzan Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Bellflowers in Basket
Ogata Kenzan
18th century
Dish with Design of Maple Leaves in a Stream, Ogata Kenzan Japanese, Stoneware with colored enamels (Kyoto ware), Japan
Dish with Design of Maple Leaves in a Stream
Ogata Kenzan
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 complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.