夕顔棚下納涼図|Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis

Utagawa Toyohiro

early 19th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Known for his creative and subtle depictions of world-weary beauties, Toyohiro here captures a moment in the lives of a couple enjoying a cool evening. Both look relaxed; the husband is about to sing, while his wife, fanning herself, appears to be asking for a sip of wine. Seemingly an exquisite example of pure genre painting, it actually manifests a deeply rooted Japanese tradition in which painting is intimately linked to poetry, in this case a popular verse by Kinoshita Chōshōshi (1569–1649): Under a trellis of evening gourd blossoms, A man in a shirt and a woman in a petticoat, Enjoy the cool of evening.

Artist

Utagawa Toyohiro

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color 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