西王母図|Queen Mother of the West
first half of the 19th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Image: 39 3/4 × 14 7/8 in. (101 × 37.8 cm) Overall with knobs: 73 3/4 × 22 in. (187.3 × 55.9 cm) Overall with mounting: 73 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (187.3 × 50.2 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.100.99
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hanging scroll, *Queen Mother of the West* (西王母図), by Kano Osanobu, captures the divine elegance of Xi Wangmu, a revered Taoist goddess symbolizing immortality and feminine power. Created in the first half of the 19 century during Japan's Edo period1615–1868), it hails from the Kano school, a prestigious lineage of painters renowned for their vibrant, decorative style blending ink precision with bold colors. Osanobu's work reflects the era's cultural flourishing, where such scrolls adorned elite homes and temples, unrolled for ceremonial viewing. Rendered in ink and color on si...