狩野探幽筆 神農・夏冬山水図|Portrait of Emperor Shennong

狩野探幽筆 神農・夏冬山水図|Portrait of Emperor Shennong by Kano Tan'yū

Medium

One from a set of three hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk

Dimensions

41 1/2 x 18 3/16 in. (105.4 x 46.2 cm)

Classification

Paintings

Culture & Period

Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Asian Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914

Accession Number

14.76.27

Tags

MenPortraitsEmperors

Art Historical Context

This exquisite hanging scroll, *Portrait of Emperor Shenn*, painted by Kano Tan'yū 1665, is one of a set of three from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868). Kano Tan'yū (1602–1674), a master of the Kano school official painting style of the Tokugawa shogunateblended bold ink outlines, vibrant mineral colors, and delicate washes on silk to create dynamic compositions. Here, the legendary Chinese emperor Shennong, revered as the divine farmer and pioneer of agriculture and herbal medicine, is depicted amid a striking summer-and-winter landscape, symbolizing harmony between humanity and nature. The me...

About the Artist

Kano Tan'yū (Japanese) · 1602 1674

Japanese, 1602–1674

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