Calligraphy of a Poem
Hon'ami Kōetsu, Japanese, 1558 - 1637
Geography:
Made in Japan, Asia
Period:
Edo Period (1615-1868)Date:
Early 17th centuryMedium:
Gold, silver, and ink on paper; mounted as a hanging scrollDimensions:
7 1/2 × 6 3/4 inches (19.1 × 17.1 cm) Mount: 33 3/4 × 11 3/4 inches (85.7 × 29.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
East Asian ArtObject Location:
1988-87-1Credit Line:
Purchased with the Henry B. Keep Fund and with gifts (by exchange) of Mrs. Andrew B. Young, Mrs. Henry W. Breyer, Sr., and Karen Myrin, 1988
Made in Japan, Asia
Period:
Edo Period (1615-1868)Date:
Early 17th centuryMedium:
Gold, silver, and ink on paper; mounted as a hanging scrollDimensions:
7 1/2 × 6 3/4 inches (19.1 × 17.1 cm) Mount: 33 3/4 × 11 3/4 inches (85.7 × 29.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
East Asian ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1988-87-1Credit Line:
Purchased with the Henry B. Keep Fund and with gifts (by exchange) of Mrs. Andrew B. Young, Mrs. Henry W. Breyer, Sr., and Karen Myrin, 1988
Label:
This shikishi is among the small number of poem cards with a verse from the Wakan roeishü (Collection of Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing). Koetsu chose most of the verses from this anthology for the handscrolls he executed after he moved to Takagamine in 1615. In this example, the choice of the poem not only foreshadows Koetsu's later years, but the lines of the calligraphy exhibit some shakiness, indicating that it was brushed after Koetsu began to suffer from slight palsy.
This shikishi is among the small number of poem cards with a verse from the Wakan roeishü (Collection of Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing). Koetsu chose most of the verses from this anthology for the handscrolls he executed after he moved to Takagamine in 1615. In this example, the choice of the poem not only foreshadows Koetsu's later years, but the lines of the calligraphy exhibit some shakiness, indicating that it was brushed after Koetsu began to suffer from slight palsy.
A mountain temple
Evening and the sunset bell,
Whose every voicing
Vibrates with a message sad to hear:
"Today too is over, dusk has come."
Wakan roeishü 585
Author unknown