Ink Plum

15th century

Not on view

Symbolic of the arrival of spring, plum blossoms were a frequent subject in Japanese seasonal poetry. Following the introduction of Chinese ink works to Japan, the motif became popular among Zen painters. Each of these hanging scrolls bears the crimson seal of the monk-painter Byōsen Myōshitsu. In the work on the left, areas of uninked paper represent a layer of snow, through which the blossoms on the branch are beginning to emerge. Rendered in sweeping strokes of dark ink, the plum branch on the right is in full bloom.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

平泉明室筆　墨梅図
Title: Ink Plum
Artist: Byōsen Myōshitsu (Japanese, active ca. 1450–75)
Period: Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Date: 15th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper
Dimensions: Image: 34 1/16 × 13 1/16 in. (86.5 × 33.2 cm)
Overall with mounting: 62 1/2 × 17 1/2 in. (158.8 × 44.5 cm)
Overall with knobs: 62 1/2 × 19 5/16 in. (158.8 × 49.1 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2018
Object Number: 2018.853.5a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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