Wenjun Rinsing Wine Cups

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Wenjun Rinsing Wine Cups

1846

Ko Ryuko (Japanese, 1801–1859)

This scroll depicts the story of Wenjun, the daughter of a wealthy man, who eloped with the poet Sima Xiangru (died 117 B.C.). When Wenjun's father cut off her inheritance, the pair opened a small wine shop to earn money. The formerly privileged lady is shown at work in this incongruous setting. In the late Edo period, when Ko Ryuko painted this triptych, educated Japanese patrons would have recognized the references to Chinese lore and landscape tradition.

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Object Details

Title:

Wenjun Rinsing Wine Cups

Date:

1846

Artist:

Ko Ryuko (Japanese, 1801–1859)

Medium:

Ink and color on silk; mounted as one of a triptych of hanging scrolls

Dimensions:

Image: 43 × 14 1/2 inches (109.2 × 36.8 cm) Mount: 6 feet 5 5/8 inches × 19 3/4 inches (197.2 × 50.2 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Toyobi Far Eastern Art, New York, 2000

Accession Number:

2000-81-2

Geography:

Made in Japan, Asia

Context:

Period: Edo Period (1615-1868)

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