The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Poem from the Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse

Poem from the Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse

2011
(Japanese, 1923–2017)
Japan, Heisei period (1989-2019)
hanging scroll; ink on dyed paper with gold foil
Sheet: 36 x 50 cm (14 3/16 x 19 11/16 in.); Image: 18.5 x 21.5 cm (7 5/16 x 8 7/16 in.); Mounted: 120 x 40 cm (47 1/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
Gift of the Artist 2011.22
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Poem number 355 from the Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse dates to the ninth century.

Description

This calligraphy is a copy of an ancient Japanese poem originally composed to celebrate someone’s sixtieth birthday, when people are traditionally considered to enter a new phase of life. It expresses hopes for longevity, symbolized by a bird and animal who legendarily have long lives. It says:

The crane and the turtle
after the passage of a thousand years
meet I know not what,
yet with all the longing of my heart,
that is what I wish for you.
  • ?–2011
    Collection of the artist, Japan, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2011–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. cat. no. 92
  • The Lure of Painted Poetry: Cross-cultural Text and Image in Korean and Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Poem from the Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse|url=false|author=Takaki Seikaku|year=2011|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2011.22