Cleveland Museum of Art

The Four Accomplishments

Iwasa Matabei

Date

c. 1620–50

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting shows a woman playing a koto, a type of stringed instrument; a pair playing a board game called Go; a man deep in a book; and a boy painting an image of flowers. The group of fashionably dressed figures is set in and around a cozy residence, their poses conveying a sense of carefree pleasure. The scene is a playful response to a theme derived from Chinese culture that presents four notable pastimes of well-educated people. The small, golden jar holds water to mix with the youth's ink for his painting.

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