Watercolour
1865-1875 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Although drawn some time after such an event could have possibly been seen, the eccentric late 19th-century artist Kawanabe Kyosai has superbly depicted the anomalous state of the samurai in the late Edo period (1600-1868). The contrast between the character of the old samurai viewing the spring cherry-blossom in full armour, accompanied by his dog and enjoying a good meal provided by a plain serving girl in provincial clothes, and the samurai in formal kamishimo wear and accompanied by a younger samurai attendant, is clearly depicted.
The drawing is entitled Pictorial Representations of Popular Sayings. The caption beside the tree reads ‘Cherry blossom is the best flower’; beside the younger samurai ‘The warrior is the best form of man’ and beside the elderly samurai ‘Dango [dumplings] rather than cherry blossom’.
The drawing is entitled Pictorial Representations of Popular Sayings. The caption beside the tree reads ‘Cherry blossom is the best flower’; beside the younger samurai ‘The warrior is the best form of man’ and beside the elderly samurai ‘Dango [dumplings] rather than cherry blossom’.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Coloured ink and paper |
| Brief description | Watercolour, coloured ink and paper, by Kawanabe Kyōsai, Japan, ca. 1865-1875 |
| Physical description | Japanese coloured ink painting of a samurai in full armour, accompanied by his dog, enjoying a meal. On the right there is a cherry-blossom viewing and on the foreground there is a samurai in formal clothing, accompanied by a younger samurai attendant. |
| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased from Christie's, accessioned in 1897. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | Although drawn some time after such an event could have possibly been seen, the eccentric late 19th-century artist Kawanabe Kyosai has superbly depicted the anomalous state of the samurai in the late Edo period (1600-1868). The contrast between the character of the old samurai viewing the spring cherry-blossom in full armour, accompanied by his dog and enjoying a good meal provided by a plain serving girl in provincial clothes, and the samurai in formal kamishimo wear and accompanied by a younger samurai attendant, is clearly depicted. The drawing is entitled Pictorial Representations of Popular Sayings. The caption beside the tree reads ‘Cherry blossom is the best flower’; beside the younger samurai ‘The warrior is the best form of man’ and beside the elderly samurai ‘Dango [dumplings] rather than cherry blossom’. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | D.1375-1897 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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