Spring View from a Thatched Pavilion on the Lakeshore
late 15th century
Medium
Album leaf mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and light colors on silk
Dimensions
Painting: 42 × 35.3 cm (16 9/16 × 13 15/16 in.); Overall: 128 × 53.3 cm (50 7/16 × 21 in.)
Classification
hanging scroll
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
16682
Art Historical Context
This delicate hanging scroll, created in the late 15th century by an artist from the School of Sesshu, captures a tranquil spring landscape viewed from a thatched pavilion a lake. The work exemplifies the refined ink-and-light-color technique on silk that defined Japanese landscape painting during the Muromachi period. Originally an album leaf, it was later mounted as a scroll, allowing it to be appreciated in the intimate, contemplative settings of temples or scholarly retreats. Sesshu (1420–1506), a Zen Buddhist monk and one of Japan’s most celebrated painters, drew inspiration from Chinese...