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Meeting between Emperor Wen and Fisherman Lü Shang

Attributed to Kano Takanobu Japanese
ca. 1600
Not on view
The man in white at the head of the group on the right screen is Emperor Wen of ancient China's Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050–256 B.C.). He is accompanied by a retinue of ten attendants. His carriage stands at the extreme right while the group progresses toward the lone fisherman Lü Shang, represented on the left screen. Before setting out on a hunting trip, the emperor had a revelation that he would meet a "wise man," who turned out to be the impoverished Lü Shang, known in Japan as Taikō bō. The fisherman agreed to be the emperor's counselor and helped to establish the exalted Zhou dynasty.

Sumptuous gold leaf covers the ground and sky, pierced by an undulating band of brilliant azure that signifies the Wei River, where the two men met. Rising and descending mists are scallop-edged, and decorative clouds embossed with abstract designs further enrich the screens' surface.

The tall, regal figures with expressive faces, especially their fish-shaped eyes, are reminiscent of those in signed and/or sealed works by Kano Takanobu, the second son of the virtuoso Momoyama master Eitoku. Only two or three works with his signature or seal are known today.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Meeting between Emperor Wen and Fisherman Lü Shang
  • Artist: Attributed to Kano Takanobu (Japanese, 1571–1618)
  • Period: Momoyama period (1573–1615)
  • Date: ca. 1600
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold on gilded paper
  • Dimensions: Image (each screen): 66 7/16 x 149 1/2 in. (168.8 x 379.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, Bequest of Stephen Whitney Phoenix, and other gifts, bequests and funds from various donors, by exchange, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and Rogers, Fletcher, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, 2006
  • Object Number: 2006.42.1, .2
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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Women’s Kabuki, Kano Takanobu Japanese, Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, gold, silver, and gold leaf on paper, Japan
Women’s Kabuki
Kano Takanobu
mid- to late 1610s
Hotei, Kano Takanobu Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Hotei
Kano Takanobu
Tetsuzan Sōdon
1616
Women on a Bridge Tossing Fans into a River, Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper, Japan
Women on a Bridge Tossing Fans into a River
Japan
early 17th century
Cherry Blossom Viewing at Itsukushima and Yoshino, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, and gold leaf on paper, Japan
Cherry Blossom Viewing at Itsukushima and Yoshino
Japan
first half 17th century
“Takebun,” from the Musical Drama “The New Piece” (Shinkyoku), Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold and silver leaf on paper, Japan
“Takebun,” from the Musical Drama “The New Piece” (Shinkyoku)
Japan
early 17th century

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