Lone Traveler in Wintry Mountains
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Buson is ranked with Ike no Taiga as one of the great masters of Japanese literati painting. Here he has depicted a scene of bare trees and bleak mountains, using only ink on a striking gold ground. At the bottom left, a lone traveler crosses a small bridge laid across a mountain stream. He is making his way toward the grounds of a magnificent estate, at the edge of which stands a thatched hut. Having at last reached his destination, perhaps the home of a friend, the traveler seems to be experiencing a moment’s relief, as he realizes that his lonely journey is nearly done. Buson’s paintings frequently include motifs such as a path or stream that suggest the passage of time. In this work, the two motifs are combined to lend the picture an intensified sense of flowing motion.
The panels are mounted as a two-panel folding screen, but traces of door-pulls (hikite) indicate that these originally formed small sliding doors (kobusuma) for a cupboard.
The panels are mounted as a two-panel folding screen, but traces of door-pulls (hikite) indicate that these originally formed small sliding doors (kobusuma) for a cupboard.
Artwork Details
- 寒林山水図屏風
- Title: Lone Traveler in Wintry Mountains
- Artist: Yosa Buson (Japanese, 1716–1783)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1778
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Two-panel folding screen; ink and gold-leaf on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 25 1/2 × 33 7/8 in. (64.7 × 86 cm)
Overall with mounting: 30 1/2 × 39 1/2 in. (77.5 × 100.4 cm) - Classification: Screens
- Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art