Untitled

Kano Tan'yū

dated 1666 · Hanging scroll mounted as a panel; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

In this large vertical composition, Tan'yū depicted the famous Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu (1051–1107) writing a poem on a rock surface at a celebrated literati party known as the Elegant Gathering at the Western Garden. This panel also bears Tan'yū's title, mention of his age (sixty-five), and a painted seal reading Seimei. Most of Tan'yū's shukuzu lack the fully realized signatures seen on this panel and its companion. These drawings may have been made not as shukuzu but rather as preliminary drawings for paintings.

Artist

Kano Tan'yū

Date

dated 1666

Medium

Hanging scroll mounted as a panel; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of John and Lili Bussel, 1996