Returning to the Mountains, Accompanied by Cranes
Tanomura Chikuden has captured a tranquil scene of two scholars conversing in a pavilion, not far from a pair of auspicious cranes. The theme of scholars in a remote pavilion is standard in the Chinese artistic repertory; the cranes, symbols of longevity and companions of the immortals, connote a lifestyle that transcends the everyday. The light brushwork that defines the mountains, rocks, and trees and the overall soft palette are reminiscent of the Suzhou-based Wu school of painting, active during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), which was so influential in shaping bunjin (literati) painting in Japan. Chikuden, a talented calligrapher, often added inscriptions in Chinese to help anchor his compositions. While other bunjin painters inscribed their works with famous verses, Chikuden wrote his own, which were often, in turn, depicted literally in painted form. Here, he rendered his words, a paean to the ideals of the literati lifestyle, in a highly refined standard script:
Artwork Details
- 田能村竹田筆「伴鶴還山図」
- Title: Returning to the Mountains, Accompanied by Cranes
- Artist: Tanomura Chikuden (Japanese, 1777–1835)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: dated 1822
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on satin
- Dimensions: Image: 44 1/2 × 13 7/16 in. (113.1 × 34.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 74 13/16 × 20 7/8 in. (190.1 × 53.1 cm)
Overall with mounting: 74 13/16 × 18 3/4 in. (190.1 × 47.7 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Fishbein-Bender Collection, Gift of Estelle P. Bender, 2025
- Object Number: 2025.618.4
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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