月に秋草図屏風|Autumn Grasses in Moonlight

Shibata Zeshin

second half of the 19th century · Two-panel folding screen; ink, lacquer, silver, and silver leaf on paper · Asian Art

In Japan, gazing at the moon and listening to the sounds of insects have long been tranquil ways to spend an autumn evening. Seen from a low vantage point, the full moon illuminates the unseen world in a tangle of autumn grasses, where various types of crickets are highlighted with shiny lacquer pigment. The silver background further enriches the dreamlike atmosphere. This small screen is of a type used at tea gatherings.

Artist

Shibata Zeshin

Date

second half of the 19th century

Medium

Two-panel folding screen; ink, lacquer, silver, and silver leaf on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975