Minneapolis Institute of Art

Giraffe

Matsuoka Kansui

Date

second half 19th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Like lions and rhinoceroses, giraffes are non-native to Japan. The first live pair of giraffes came to Japan in 1907, purchased for the Ueno Imperial Zoological Gardens (now Ueno Zoo in Tokyo) from a German merchant of wild animals. Prior to that, civil servant and naturalist Tanaka Yoshio brought back a taxidermied giraffe from the Centennial International Exhibition of 1877 in Philadelphia. Kansui likely had the opportunity to observe the taxidermy, given his accurate rendering of the spotted coat, proportions, and general appearance. Previous depictions of the giraffe, drawn based on Jonston’s illustration in Historiae naturalis, showed the creature with circular spots like a leopard’s coat and very short hind legs. Kansui employed shading on the body, demonstrating his awareness of Western painting conventions. Asia

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