ticketsMember | Make a donation

Cypresses

Ikeda Koson Japanese
mid-19th century
Not on view
In this dramatic close-up of a single landscape element, Ikeda Koson renders a timeless moment in a grove of hinoki cypresses. He depicts an atmosphere of misty space and shifting light by skillfully varying ink tones from black to gray in the leaves of frond-like branchlets. Texture and form result from the application of wet ink over pale washes on the tree trunks.

Koson, a pupil of the Rinpa revivalist Sakai Hōitsu (1761–1828), brought a fresh vitality to standard themes in the Rinpa repertoire through his virtuoso brushwork and ability to convey naturalistic forms without sacrificing the bold decorative impact of his predecessors.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cypresses
  • Artist: Ikeda Koson (Japanese, 1803–1868)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: mid-19th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Two-panel folding screen; ink on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 59 5/16 x 63 1/16 in. (150.6 x 160.2 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 67 1/2 x 70 1/2 in. (171.5 x 179.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.300.97
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Mirror of Genuine Work of Monk Hōitsu (Hōitsu shōnin shinseki kagami), Ikeda Koson Japanese, Set of two woodblock printed books; ink and color on paper, Japan
Mirror of Genuine Work of Monk Hōitsu (Hōitsu shōnin shinseki kagami)
Ikeda Koson
1817
The Thirty-six Poetic Immortals , Ikeda Koson Japanese, Two-panel folding screen; ink and color on silk, Japan
Returned to lender

The Thirty-six Poetic Immortals

Ikeda Koson
mid-19th century
Chinese Literary Gathering, Ikeda Koson Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan
Returned to lender
Chinese Literary Gathering
Ikeda Koson
mid-19th century
Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons, Ikeda Koson Japanese, Pair of hanging scrolls; ink, color, and gold on silk, Japan
Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons
Ikeda Koson
mid-19th century
Three Gods of Good Fortune Visit the Yoshiwara; or “Scenes of Pleasure at the Height of Spring”, Chōbunsai Eishi Japanese, Handscroll; ink and color on silk, Japan
Three Gods of Good Fortune Visit the Yoshiwara; or “Scenes of Pleasure at the Height of Spring”
Chōbunsai Eishi
early 19th century

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.