Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis

early 19th century

Not on view

Known for his creative and subtle depictions of world-weary beauties, Toyohiro here captures a moment in the lives of a couple enjoying a cool evening. Both look relaxed; the husband is about to sing, while his wife, fanning herself, appears to be asking for a sip of wine. Seemingly an exquisite example of pure genre painting, it actually manifests a deeply rooted Japanese tradition in which painting is intimately linked to poetry, in this case a popular verse by Kinoshita Chōshōshi (1569–1649):

Under a trellis of evening gourd blossoms,
A man in a shirt and a woman in a petticoat,
Enjoy the cool of evening.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

夕顔棚下納涼図
Title: Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis
Artist: Utagawa Toyohiro (Japanese, 1763–1828)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 33 1/4 x 11 in. (84.5 x 27.9 cm)
Overall with knobs: 65 1/8 x 16 1/2 in. (165.4 x 41.9 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.129
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

8829. Enjoying the Evening Cool under a Gourd Trellis

0:00

We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

By Utagawa Toyohiro

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Woman and Child under a Cherry Tree, Utagawa Toyohiro Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan — Woman and Child under a Cherry Tree
Utagawa Toyohiro
late 18th–early 19th century

Sails Returning to Yahashi, Utagawa Toyohiro Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Sails Returning to Yahashi
Utagawa Toyohiro

Owl and Two Swallows, Utagawa Toyohiro Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Owl and Two Swallows
Utagawa Toyohiro

Ebisu and Benten Walking in the Snow, Utagawa Toyohiro Japanese, Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper, Japan — Ebisu and Benten Walking in the Snow
Utagawa Toyohiro

Horinouchi Myo-ho-ji Eho Mairi no Zu, Utagawa Toyohiro Japanese, Two sheets of a pentaptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — Horinouchi Myo-ho-ji Eho Mairi no Zu
Utagawa Toyohiro
ca. 1804

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.