Minneapolis Institute of Art

Cucumbers

Date

1887

Medium

Ink and color on paper with lacquer (urushi-e)

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

For each of the six leaves in this album, Zeshin chose a different motif to evoke a particular season. Here, two cucumbers represent the bounty of late summer and early fall. Despite the ordinary subject matter, the work shows Zeshin's great skill as a lacquer painter. In it, he exquisitely rendered every detail in crisp contours and glossy washes, then added a humorous touch by including a tiny ant on the underside of the nearest cucumber. Japan, Asia

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