Shōki the Demon Queller
Shōki (Chinese: Zhong Kui) is a mythical queller of demons. He traditionally appears as a bearded figure in a scholar’s cap and large boots, subduing one or more demonic beings—here a demon scampers across the upper mounting of the painting. The signature includes a cyclical date associated with 1931 and fancifully uses the name of Kawai Gyokudō, a famous painter who was known to paint images of this auspicious subject. Close inspection reveals that the “mounting” is actually part of the painting, executed in a tromp l’oeil manner to replicate a traditional hanging-scroll mounting made from separate pieces of silk. Both Shōki and irises were associated with Boys’ Day, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month.
Artwork Details
- 伝川合玉堂筆 鍾馗図
- Title: Shōki the Demon Queller
- Artist: After Kawai Gyokudō (Japanese, 1873–1957)
- Period: Shōwa period (1926–89)
- Date: 1931
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll with painted mounting (kakibyōsō); ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 58 11/16 × 14 3/16 in. (149 × 36 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Mrs. Winthrop Sargent, by exchange, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.39
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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