Harvesting Bamboo Shoots in Winter
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This painting parodies the classical Chinese story of Meng Zong (Japanese: Mōsō), one of the Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety, who faithfully tended the needs of his ailing mother. In the middle of winter, Meng's mother requested he prepare a meal of bamboo shoots for her. His deep devotion was acknowledged and rewarded by the gods as he found copious amounts of fresh bamboo emerging through a heavy layer of snow.
In this painting, Kanshi has replaced Meng with a young woman, wearing a straw cape and large hat to protect her from the snow falling steadily in large flakes. Her hand to her cheek, she smiles with a slightly surprised expression as bamboo shoots push through the snow in a ring at her feet.
In this painting, Kanshi has replaced Meng with a young woman, wearing a straw cape and large hat to protect her from the snow falling steadily in large flakes. Her hand to her cheek, she smiles with a slightly surprised expression as bamboo shoots push through the snow in a ring at her feet.
Artwork Details
- Title: Harvesting Bamboo Shoots in Winter
- Artist: Tōensai Kanshi (Japanese, active 1748–1764)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: mid- 18th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scrol; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 33 11/16 × 13 3/8 in. (85.5 × 34 cm)
Overall with mounting: 67 1/16 × 18 1/8 in. (170.3 × 46 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art