墨齊(没倫紹等)筆　葡萄図|Grapes

Bokusai 墨齊 (Motsurin Jōtō没倫紹等)

ca. 1480s–1492 · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

In this tour de force of brushwork, the monk-calligrapher Motsurin Jōtō rendered clusters of grapes and leaves on a vine. In addition to the varied tones achieved with the brush, Motsurin impressed his fingerprints into some of the grapes while the ink was wet, imbuing the work with distinctive traces of the physical act of creation. Above, four columns of a Chinese poem appear in Motsurin’s own dynamic calligraphy: 醉中倒東海 拾得老龍鬚 醒來間点撿 猶自帶驪珠 While drunk, I fell into the Eastern Sea, Reaching for and grasping the aged dragon’s whiskers. After finally awakening and examining things, I am still carrying the dragon’s black pearls. —Trans. Tim T. Zhang

Artist

Bokusai 墨齊 (Motsurin Jōtō没倫紹等)

Date

ca. 1480s–1492

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2022