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Genre Figures

c. 1816

Takebe Sōchō 建部 巣兆

(Japanese, 1760–1814)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Measurements
Overall: 125.4 x 49.6 cm (49 3/8 x 19 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1987.72.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Though rarely mentioned in official histories, Sōchō was an accomplished painter whose talent is readily apparent to the modern eye. For his compositions he chose traditional Japanese stories or everyday events. This scroll is part of a triptych of paintings converted from the folding screen format into the hanging scroll format.
A vertical hanging scroll in ink and color depicts an older man with a large, curved nose and thin beard. Crouched low and facing left, he gazes upward with his mouth slightly open. He wears loose tan robes over white trousers and holds a dark, ridged flute with both hands. Vertical Japanese calligraphy and a red seal mark the upper right of the sparse, light-colored background.

Genre Figures

c. 1816

Takebe Sōchō

(Japanese, 1760–1814)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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