Prince Shōtoku (574–622), a preeminent champion of Buddhism against the hereditary clans in charge of Shinto ritual, was venerated within a century after his death as an incarnation of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Monks told parables about him inspired by the life of the Buddha, and episodes from his life decorated temples and shrines, aiding the spread of popular Buddhism throughout medieval Japan.
This hanging scroll and its pair depict sixty-two such scenes from the prince’s life, shown neither chronologically nor in an orderly spatial sequence but instead identified by accompanying inscriptions. Although Shōtoku lived during the early seventh century, when the capital was located in Asuka, these fourteenth-century paintings depict costumed figures, festive activities, and architectural settings inspired by the Kyoto imperial court during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura years.
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painting
with mounting, rollers and knobs
Artwork Details
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聖徳太子絵伝図
Title:Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku (Shōtoku Taishi e-den)
Period:Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Date:14th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:One of two hanging scrolls; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions:Image: 67 5/8 x 33 1/4 in. (171.8 x 84.5 cm) Overall with mounting: 106 x 40 1/2 in. (269.2 x 102.9 cm) Overall with knobs: 106 x 43 1/4 in. (269.2 x 109.9 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number:29.100.470
Mrs. H. O. (Louisine W.) Havemeyer , New York (until d. 1929; bequeathed to MMA).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Japan," 1995.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "No Ordinary Mortals: The Human and Not-So-Human Figure in Japanese Art," November 1, 1996–October 5, 1997.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art in Early Japan," 1999–2000.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Graceful Gestures: A Decade of Collecting Japanese Art," September 29, 2001–March 10, 2002.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Birds, Flowers, and Buddhist Paradise Imagery in Japanese Art," February 14–June 13, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Spring and Summer," December 17, 2005–June 4, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "No Ordinary Mortals: The Human Figure in Japanese Art," 2007–2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Ukiyo-e Artists' Responses to Romantic Legends of Two Brothers: Narihira and Yukihira," March 27–June 8, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Storytelling in Japanese Art," November 19, 2011–May 6, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Kyoto: Capital of Artistic Imagination," July 24, 2019–January 31, 2021.
Tokyo Kokuritsu Bunkazai Kenkyūjo 東京国立文化財研究所, ed. Nyūyōku Metoroporitan Bijutsukan, kaiga, chōkoku ニューヨークメトロポリタン美術館,絵画・彫刻 (Painting and sculpture of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Kaigai shozai Nihon bijutsuhin chōsa hōkoku 海外所在日本美術品調查報告 (Catalogue of Japanese art in foreign collections) 1. Tokyo: Kobunkazai Kagaku Kenkyūkai, 1991, p. 26, cat. no. 74.2.
Watanabe, Masako. Storytelling in Japanese Art. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011, pp. 10, 12, fig. 3.
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