Artwork Page for Susuki Grass

Details / Information for Susuki Grass

Susuki Grass

芒野図屏風

c. 1525

Japan, Muromachi period

(1392–1573)
View all records in artwork set
Medium
One of a pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on paper
Measurements
Image: 150.4 x 349.2 cm (59 3/16 x 137 1/2 in.); Overall: 163.6 x 362.4 cm (64 7/16 x 142 11/16 in.); Panel: 163.6 x 60.4 cm (64 7/16 x 23 3/4 in.); with frame: 166.8 x 365.6 cm (65 11/16 x 143 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1984.43.1
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Susuki grass has a seasonal association with autumn in the Japanese visual and literary tradition. It is one of the “Seven Flowers of Autumn,” along with bush clover, arrowroot, pink, patrinia, mistflower, and bellflower. This composition immerses the beholder in a field of grasses and golden bands of mist. The design may have served as a backdrop for poems brushed in ink on decorated papers and attached to the surface of the screens, a practice with a long tradition in Japan.
A horizontal folding screen of six panels features a mottled gold and tan background with rhythmic, dark green grass blades. The calligraphic brushstrokes overlap, creating a dense pattern of swaying lines across the continuous composition. A wide border with a blue and gold checkered motif frames the entire perimeter. The work emphasizes organic movement contrasted against the structured geometry of the decorative frame and the textured metallic surface.

Susuki Grass

c. 1525

Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork