Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis

early 19th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 231

Beneath a makeshift trellis, a couple sits on a straw mat, enjoying the cool evening breeze. The scene appears to depict an ordinary moment in the lives of regular people, yet it likely alludes to a waka (poem) by Kinoshita Chōshōshi (1569–1649): “Beneath the eaves where the yūgao (moonflower) blooms, the man cools himself in his loincloth, the woman in her undergarment.” While the poem celebrates simple domestic pleasure, the painting carries a quieter, more melancholic mood that evokes the transition from late summer to autumn. The man cradles a blue-and-white porcelain sake cup, and his companion reaches toward it for a sip; a stoneware sake flask rests before them, lending the intimate scene a sense of shared leisure.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

歌川豊広筆　夕顔棚納涼図
Title: Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis
Artist: Utagawa Toyohiro (Japanese, 1763–1828)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 33 1/4 x 11 in. (84.5 x 27.9 cm)
Overall with knobs: 65 1/8 x 16 1/2 in. (165.4 x 41.9 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.129
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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8829. Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis

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