The God of Good Fortune Jurōjin
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Like Fukurokuju, another of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune he closely resembles and with whom he is often confused, Jurōjin has an elongated forehead, symbolizing great wisdom. Both Jurōjin and Fukurokuju are frequently depicted with either a crane or a deer, which, coincidentally, are also the two most commonly represented auspicious animals of the Rinpa canon. In Sakai Ōho’s version, Jurōjin is precariously mounted on a white deer as his boy attendant looks on. Felicitous paintings of holy men, sages, and poetic immortals would remain a popular theme of Rinpa artists even into the modern period. Ōho’s teacher, Sakai Hōitsu, also created paintings on this theme, sometimes as the central painting of a triptych, with compositions on floral themes flanking it. We can safely assume that this painting was the central scroll of a triptych.
Artwork Details
- 酒井鶯浦筆 寿老人図
- Title: The God of Good Fortune Jurōjin
- Artist: Sakai Ōho (Japanese, 1808–1841)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: probably 1830s
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 40 3/4 x 14 7/16 in. (103.5 x 36.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 76 3/8 x 21 7/16 in. (194 x 54.5 cm)
Overall with mounting: 76 3/8 × 19 7/8 in. (194 × 50.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Fishbein-Bender Collection, Promised Gift of T. Richard Fishbein and Estelle P. Bender
- Object Number: L.2019.10.22a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art