Festival Scenes
Unknown Artist
1615–99
Medium
pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper
Dimensions
51.1 × 208.9 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith
Accession Number
1985.279
About this artwork
Much smaller in size than standard Japanese folding screens, this lively pair depicts all manner of entertainments. Although at first they seem to show an ongoing festival, closer examination reveals that the screens comprise a series of isolated scenes from disparate occasions. In one screen, crowds gather around a bout of sumo wrestling as well as juggling and balancing acts. Elsewhere, teams of men pull a float bearing musicians costumed in foreign dress. There is also a dance circle with dru...