Orchid Pavilion Gathering in Blue and Green

Tsubaki Kakoku Japanese

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 231

This colorful rendition of the fourth-century Orchid Pavilion Gathering is set not in secluded mountains but rather in an elaborately designed private garden. The participants, dressed in loose robes, drink from cups while seated comfortably along a stream. The event’s host, Wang Xizhi, is positioned in a luxurious pavilion—brush in hand, ready to compose his famous preface to the poems written by the group.

Tsubaki Kakoku and his father, Chinzan (1801–1841), were both disciples of Watanabe Kazan, a painter and scholar active in Edo in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Kakoku was only nineteen when he painted this complex composition, showcasing his prodigious young talent. He died tragically just six years later.

Orchid Pavilion Gathering in Blue and Green, Tsubaki Kakoku (Japanese, 1825–1850), Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.