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Moon and Autumn Grasses

Studio of Tawaraya Sōtatsu Japanese
mid- to late 17th century
Not on view
A large half-moon, once silver but now darkly oxidized, shines over a field of delicate autumn grasses. Tiny grains of gold are scattered throughout, and are especially dense around the moon. Since the Heian period (794–1185), the moon over an autumn field has been a favorite subject in Japan, with its stirring evocation of serenity, clarity, and nostalgia. Rinpa artists and members of the more traditional schools, such as Kano and Tosa, favored this subject during the first half of the seventeenth century. Here, the moon floating over the field creates a simple pattern.

The signature in the lower right corner reads “Sōtatsu Hokkyō” (Sōtatsu holding the title of Bridge of the Law), and the seal reads “Taiseiken.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 俵屋宗達工房　月に秋草図屏風
  • Title: Moon and Autumn Grasses
  • Artist: Studio of Tawaraya Sōtatsu (Japanese, ca. 1570–ca. 1640)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: mid- to late 17th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, silver, and gold flecks on paper
  • Dimensions: Overall (each screen): 59 7/16 in. x 11 ft. 10 3/8 in. (151 x 361.6 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: 1975.268.60, .61
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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White Hollyhocks, Tawaraya Sōtatsu Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
White Hollyhocks
In the Style of Tawaraya Sōtatsu
17th century
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries
Spring Trees and Grasses by a Stream , One of a pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and silver on paper, Japan

Spring Trees and Grasses by a Stream

Japan
late 17th–early 18th century
Royal Visit to Ōhara, from The Tale of the Heike, Tawaraya Sōtatsu Japanese, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink and color on paper, Japan
Royal Visit to Ōhara, from The Tale of the Heike
Studio of Tawaraya Sōtatsu
first half of the 17th century
Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese
Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto)
Japanese
16th century

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