Arashiyama in Spring (right); Mt. Takao in Autumn (left)
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Renowned for their displays of seasonal colors, two famous sites (meisho) in the mountains west of Kyoto are depicted in this pair of six-panel folding screens: the spring blossoms of cherry trees growing wild on the hillsides of Arashiyama and the autumn blaze of red maples in Takao. Flowing through the center of the Arashiyama screen is the Hozu River where people gather to enjoy the cherry blossoms by riding pleasure boats down the river, by crossing the Togetsukyō bridge to obtain a closer view, or by simply relaxing on the benches and blankets outside the teahouses lining the nearby riverbank. In the Takao screen, people can be found enjoying the maples while drinking sake or steeped tea (sencha) along the banks of the Kiyotaki River. This screen, which depicts the full splendor of autumn, also includes a distant view of Jingoji Temple.
The inscriptions by Baiitsu date the Arashiyama screen to the second month of 1832 and the Takao screen to the fourth month of the same year. This would suggest that each screen required around two months to complete. Realistically painted in brilliant colors, the two screens have a richly decorative quality.
The inscriptions by Baiitsu date the Arashiyama screen to the second month of 1832 and the Takao screen to the fourth month of the same year. This would suggest that each screen required around two months to complete. Realistically painted in brilliant colors, the two screens have a richly decorative quality.
Artwork Details
- Title: Arashiyama in Spring (right); Mt. Takao in Autumn (left)
- Artist: Yamamoto Baiitsu (Japanese, 1783–1856)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1832
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; color with gold ground on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 65 1/2 in. × 11 ft. 8 13/16 in. (166.3 × 357.6 cm)
66 3/4 in. × 11 ft. 10 1/16 in. (169.5 × 360.8 cm) - Classification: Screens
- Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art