Yueyang Pavilion
This diptych of colorful landscapes, meticulously detailed, showcases the expert abilities of Isen’in Naganobu, from the Kano school. The painter transformed famous Chinese poems into evocative imagery suited to his wealthy Japanese clientele.
Illustrating a poem by Du Fu (712–770) about the famed Yueyang Pavilion, the scroll on the right depicts a grand Chinese pavilion by the water’s edge, at which a scholar-official awaits the arrival of a friend. The left-hand scroll shows two men drinking outdoors, a scene inspired by a poem about Dongting Lake by another figure of the Tang dynasty, Li Bai (701–762). Despite the contrast in settings—one refined and serene, the other rustic yet cheerful—both pieces celebrate the pleasure of immersing oneself in nature with friends.
Illustrating a poem by Du Fu (712–770) about the famed Yueyang Pavilion, the scroll on the right depicts a grand Chinese pavilion by the water’s edge, at which a scholar-official awaits the arrival of a friend. The left-hand scroll shows two men drinking outdoors, a scene inspired by a poem about Dongting Lake by another figure of the Tang dynasty, Li Bai (701–762). Despite the contrast in settings—one refined and serene, the other rustic yet cheerful—both pieces celebrate the pleasure of immersing oneself in nature with friends.
Artwork Details
- 狩野伊川院栄信筆 岳陽楼図
- Title: Yueyang Pavilion
- Artist: Kanō Isen’in Naganobu 狩野伊川院栄信 (Japanese, 1775–1828)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1823
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Pair of hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image (each): 64 1/2 × 23 7/8 in. (163.8 × 60.6 cm)
Overall with mounting (each): 8 ft. 3 1/4 in. × 28 1/2 in. (252.1 × 72.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.432.19a, b
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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