Artwork Page for The Four Accomplishments

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The Four Accomplishments

琴棋書画図

c. 1620–50

attributed to Iwasa Matabei 岩佐 又兵衛

(Japanese, 1578–1650)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper
Measurements
Painting: 115.9 x 51.3 cm (45 5/8 x 20 3/16 in.); Mounted: 211.1 x 64 cm (83 1/8 x 25 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
The Kelvin Smith Collection, given by Mrs. Kelvin Smith 1985.269
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The small, golden jar holds water to mix with the youth's ink for his painting.

Description

This painting shows a woman playing a koto, a type of stringed instrument; a pair playing a board game called Go; a man deep in a book; and a boy painting an image of flowers. The group of fashionably dressed figures is set in and around a cozy residence, their poses conveying a sense of carefree pleasure. The scene is a playful response to a theme derived from Chinese culture that presents four notable pastimes of well-educated people.
A hanging scroll depicts the corner of a terrace wrapping around a house on which people with skin tones the same color as the beige-brown paper engage in various activities. In the doorway, a person plays a koto, an instrument like a plank of wood with strings. Sitting on the terrace, two people play go, a board game. In front of the terrace, one person stands reading and another lies on their side, painting. The people have black hair and wear black, white, and red robes more defined than the faint lines of the house and tree. A golden-yellow color weaves in and out of the ground and sky.

The Four Accomplishments

c. 1620–50

Iwasa Matabei

(Japanese, 1578–1650)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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