Artwork Page for Oath of the Peach Garden, from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

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Oath of the Peach Garden, from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

『三国志演義』桃園結義図

c. 1780
(Japanese, 1752–1811)
Measurements
Image: 28.2 x 25.2 cm (11 1/8 x 9 15/16 in.); Including mounting: 114.3 x 44.2 cm (45 x 17 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Matsumura Goshun was trained in literati art by Yosa Buson and Maruyama Ōkyo.

Description

This painting depicts a pivotal scene from the classic Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Three men, Liu Bei, seen to the left, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, seen to the right, become sworn brothers amid peach blossom trees. Set toward the end of China’s Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE), the episode features the tagline “We seek not to be born on the same day but hope that we may die on the same day.” Written in the 1300s, the first published translation in Japanese appeared around 1690, after which it exploded in popularity.
A hanging scroll in soft tones depicts three men with light skin tones gathered among peach trees. On the left, a figure stands in a lavender robe beside a leaning tree. Centrally, a man with a flowing beard sits at a wooden table in green robes. Another man stands to the right, hands clasped. Flowering branches with pink dabs and dark, rounded rocks frame the group. Calligraphy and red seals mark the top right.

Oath of the Peach Garden, from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

c. 1780

Matsumura Goshun

(Japanese, 1752–1811)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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