Herb Gatherer in the Mountains
A gray-bearded man rides his horse on a rocky mountain path alongside a stream, passing a bed of fallen red leaves and a bare tree draped with ivy. He is on a quest for the herb of immortality.
The eldest son of an affluent family of mint officials in Kyoto, Go Shun began his career as a painter and haiku poet under the guidance of the renowned practitioner Yosa Buson (1716–1783)—whose stylistic influence is particularly evident in this example. Go Shun emerged as a prominent artist in his own right, founding the influential Shijō school in Kyoto. When writing Japanese poetry or painting Japanese-style compositions, he worked under the name Matsumura Gekkei.
The eldest son of an affluent family of mint officials in Kyoto, Go Shun began his career as a painter and haiku poet under the guidance of the renowned practitioner Yosa Buson (1716–1783)—whose stylistic influence is particularly evident in this example. Go Shun emerged as a prominent artist in his own right, founding the influential Shijō school in Kyoto. When writing Japanese poetry or painting Japanese-style compositions, he worked under the name Matsumura Gekkei.
Artwork Details
- 呉春(松村月渓)筆 渓山探薬図
- Title: Herb Gatherer in the Mountains
- Artist: Go Shun (Matsumura Gekkei) (Japanese, 1752–1811)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. after 1780
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 44 1/8 × 16 1/8 in. (112.1 × 41 cm)
Overall with mounting: 78 7/8 × 21 5/8 in. (200.3 × 54.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.432.17
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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