Minneapolis Institute of Art

Zodiac calendar with holder in the shape of a hanging scroll

Shibata Zeshin

Date

1846

Medium

Gold and silver maki-e and shell inlay on lacquered wood

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This calendar consists of six plaques, each painted on both sides, featuring an animal from the Chinese zodiac calendar. The holder mimics the format and mount of a hanging scroll and even includes ivory rollers. Some of the paintings are accompanied by inscriptions that indicate in which style Zeshin painted. The dragon plaque, for example, is in the style of Kano Tan'yū (1602–74) and the dog plaque was inspired by Maruyama Ōkyo's (1733–95) famous puppies. Zeshin is considered the world's greatest lacquer artist who also developed a number of new techniques. His principle technique is takamaki-e, or raised sprinkled design, where the pictorial elements are raised above the surface, sprinkled with gold or silver, and then protected with a coat of clear lacquer. Japan, Asia

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