Chrysanthemums

Maker(s)
Artist: Itō Jakuchū 伊藤若冲 (1716-1800)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, eighteenth century
Medium
Ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 59 x 180.6 cm (23 1/4 x 71 1/8 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1980.198
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Screen (two-panel)

Keywords
Edo period (1615 - 1868), Japan, plant, WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance information is currently unavailable
Label

Jakuchu is regarded as one of the foremost individualist painters of eighteenth-century Japan. Owing allegiance to no particular stylistic school, Jakuchu--also a greengrocer in Kyoto's central market--received some professional training but painted only avocationally until his early forties. Friendship with important Zen prelates allowed him to study major collections of Chinese and Japanese paintings held in temple collections.

Jakuchu was ultimately a master of both polychrome and ink-monochrome forms. In this comparatively early work, he reveals his love for pattern and detail. The complex arrangements of green tones in the rendering of leaves are particularly telling of his interests.

Published References
  • Impressions: The Journal of the Japanese Art Society of America. no. 39 Lexington, Massachusetts, 2018. p. 99, fig. 29.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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