Calligraphy and Painting Party

書画会

1880

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎

(Japanese, 1831–1889)

Culture

Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Measurements

Painting only: 139 x 69 cm (54 3/4 x 27 3/16 in.); Including mounting: 221 x 97.5 cm (87 x 38 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1983.88

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Location

235A Japanese

Did You Know?

One participant in this gathering appears to be taking a nap.

Description

In this collaborative painting, artists create works in response to patrons’ requests. Kawanabe Kyōsai painted the figures and outlines of the screens and scrolls, and 10 bunjin completed them. Each calligraphy and painting has a signature. Physician and calligrapher Nakane Hanrei (中根半嶺) (1831–1914) wrote “longevity” (壽) with an enormous ink-filled brush. Painter Fukushima Ryūho (福島柳圃) (1820–1889) did the plum on the folding screen, while Matsuoka Kansui (松岡環翠) (1818–1887) did the lotus; the two seem to be standing nearby, pointing others toward their accomplishment.