Artwork
墨林愚庵筆 葡萄蝉図|Cicada on a Grapevine
墨林愚庵筆 葡萄蝉図|Cicada on a Grapevine is an ink painting by the Tosa School artist Bokurin Guan. It dates from 1395 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Its iconography centers on the insect and the vine, a naturalistic pairing that appears in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
The hanging scroll titled 墨林愚庵筆 葡萄蝉図, also known as Cicada on a Grapevine, shows a cicada perched on a grapevine stem. The work, executed in ink on paper in 1395 in Japan, belongs to the landscape genre and is classified as a painting. Its iconography centers on the insect and the vine, a naturalistic pairing that appears in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
By rendering a solitary cicada amid foliage, the piece emphasizes the delicate relationship between creature and plant, reflecting themes of seasonal observation found in East Asian artistic practice.
Technique & Style
The painting is presented as a hanging scroll, executed in ink on paper, which defines its support and display format. Bokurin Guan’s technique employs fine brush lines and graded ink washes to depict a cicada perched on a grapevine, a subject that merges natural observation with the lyrical landscape tradition of the era. The composition balances delicate insect detail with the flowing suggestion of vine tendrils, creating a harmonious visual rhythm.
Produced in Japan in 1395, the scroll was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains in the museum’s collection.
History & Provenance
Cicada on a Grapevine was created by the monk-painter Bokurin Guan in 1395, a date recorded as the work's inception and confirmed across the available records. The hanging scroll, executed in ink on paper, was produced in Japan during the late Muromachi period. It depicts an insect resting on a grapevine, a subject consistent with East Asian ink-painting traditions of combining flora and fauna.
The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. No further details about an earlier ownership chain, commission, or intermediate custodians are documented in the available sources.
Cicada on a Grapevine is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is part of the museum's paintings collection. The work was created in 1395 and is a hanging scroll executed in ink on paper.
No specific inventory or accession number, and no exhibition history, is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Cicada on a Grapevine, created by Bokurin Guan in 1395, is an ink on paper hanging scroll. This painting captures a solitary cicada resting on a twisting grapevine. Executed with precise brushwork, the artwork exemplifies the subtle beauty found in nature, a common theme in East Asian painting traditions. The composition invites close observation of its delicate details.
Context
This hanging scroll dates to Japan's Muromachi period (1336-1573), an era when ink painting, or suiboku-ga, flourished. Artists of this time often favored monochrome ink and brush to depict natural subjects, seeking to convey spiritual depth and the essence of a moment rather than mere representation. Cicada on a Grapevine reflects this aesthetic, capturing a quiet observation of the natural world through a restrained palette.
Artist & collection
