Gathering to Celebrate Old Age
In this work Tomioka Tessai (1837–1924), foremost among late Japanese literati painters, depicts a Shōshikai 尚歯会, a Gathering to Celebrate Old Age. Such gatherings see a senior figure invite elderly friends, often seven, to paint, recite poetry, play musical instruments, and drink wine outdoors. The members of Tessai’s gathering relax in a ravine, beneath towering peaks and crashing waterfalls. The men are divided into three groups in the foreground and middleground. At lower left, a younger male attendant can be seen preparing to serve the men wine. Nearby, three men have gathered around a fourth man who plays the zither. One of the men holds a wine cup and rests his elbow on a bundle of scrolls, suggestive of other pursuits. Another group of men and young helpers gather around a friend writing on a scroll with a brush. Three more figures above examine a scroll painting hung from a pole. The subject has its origins in Tang Dynasty China, where legend holds that the celebrated poet and statesman, Bai Juyi, held such a gathering in 845. The practice was introduced to Japan shortly thereafter, with the first recorded gathering organized in 877 by the government official Minabuchi no Toshina (808–877).
Artwork Details
- 尚齒會圖 (Shōshikai zu)
- Title: Gathering to Celebrate Old Age
- Artist: Tomioka Tessai (Japanese, 1836–1924)
- Period: Taishō period (1912–26)
- Date: 1916
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 55 5/16 × 15 1/2 in. (140.5 × 39.3 cm)
Overall with knobs: 85 1/2 × 20 3/16 in. (217.2 × 51.3 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.398.2
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Tomioka Tessai
Tomioka Tessai
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