The Four Accomplishments

This pair of screens shows a group of elite Chinese gentlemen and their servants in the countryside. One man is considering his painting in progress, while another looks on as two of his companions play a board game called qi, known in Japan as Go. Nearby is a table set with a selection of books ready to be read and a qin, a type of stringed instrument, still wrapped in its cloth case waiting to be played. The mood is one of enjoyment balanced with formality. Historically, playing the qin and qi along with practicing or admiring calligraphy and painting were considered four skills essential for cultured men in China.

Pair of six-panel folding screens depicting people with light skin tones in rocky landscapes with gnarled trees. On one screen, the scene gathers on the right with people seated on the ground playing a board game and others carrying bowls from a table stacked with books and an instrument in a case. A child in the center looks into a crack in the ground. The other screen's scene is clustered to the left, a person seated at a table painting while others gather around. In each scene, a child wears orange robes and the rest muted yellow or white.

The Four Accomplishments

late 1500s–early 1600s

Kano Shōei

(Japanese, 1519–1592)

Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615)

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