伝川合玉堂筆 鍾馗図|Shōki the Demon Queller

Kawai Gyokudō

1931 · Hanging scroll with painted mounting (kakibyōsō); ink and color on silk · Asian Art

Shōki (Chinese: Zhong Kui) is a mythical queller of demons. He traditionally appears as a bearded figure in a scholar’s cap and large boots, subduing one or more demonic beings—here a demon scampers across the upper mounting of the painting. The signature includes a cyclical date associated with 1931 and fancifully uses the name of Kawai Gyokudō, a famous painter who was known to paint images of this auspicious subject. Close inspection reveals that the “mounting” is actually part of the painting, executed in a tromp l’oeil manner to replicate a traditional hanging-scroll mounting made from separate pieces of silk. Both Shōki and irises were associated with Boys’ Day, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month.

Artist

Kawai Gyokudō

Date

1931

Medium

Hanging scroll with painted mounting (kakibyōsō); ink and color on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Gift of Mrs. Winthrop Sargent, by exchange, 2018