Snow-laden Pine Boughs
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1903.124
Tags
About this artwork
To 1903
Art Historical Context
**Snow-laden Pine Boughs** a delicate hanging scroll painting (*kakemono*) by Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743), a master of the Edo period (1615–8) renowned for his elegant ceramics and paintings. Created in the 18th century, this captures the serene beauty of pine branches bowed under heavy snow, a motif evoking Japan's winter landscapes. Kenzan, brother of the famed Rinpa artist Ogata Kōrin, blended literati influences with decorative flair, often using subtle ink washes and mineral colors on silk or paper to convey nature's quiet poetry. In Japanese art, pine trees symbolize longevity, resilience,...