Cleveland Museum of Art

Painting Party

Kawanabe Kyōsai

Date

1880

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In this collaborative painting, artists create works in response to patrons’ requests. Kawanabe Kyōsai painted the figures and outlines of the screens and scrolls, and 10 bunjin completed them. Each calligraphy and painting has a signature. Physician and calligrapher Nakane Hanrei (中根半嶺) (1831–1914) wrote “longevity” (壽) with an enormous ink-filled brush. Painter Fukushima Ryūho (福島柳圃) (1820–1889) did the plum on the folding screen, while Matsuoka Kansui (松岡環翠) (1818–1887) did the lotus; the two seem to be standing nearby, pointing others toward their accomplishment. One participant in this gathering appears to be taking a nap.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.