Mice transcribing a book

Object Details

• Artist

  Kawanabe Kyosai 河鍋暁斎 (1831-1889)

• Label

  Mice and rats appear in both benevolent and malevolent roles, sometimes within the same image. In an anthropomorphic representation, a mouse transcribes a book that is read aloud by another mouse, while behind them a group of mice chews away at the library.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Birds and Beasts in Japanese Art (January 31 to July 18, 2004)

  Japanese Drawings (March 16, 1984 to July 22, 1985)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Album

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1870s

• Name

  Kawanabe, Kyosai

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Mouse, Japanese Art, Writing, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Albums