Artwork
狩野探幽筆 月夜山水図|Landscape in Moonlight
狩野探幽筆 月夜山水図|Landscape in Moonlight is an ink painting by the Baroque artist Kano Tan'yū. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
As one panel of a triptych, the painting exemplifies the landscape genre through its specific material choices.
Executed in 1668 by the Japanese master Kanō Tan'yū, this work is a hanging scroll rendered in ink on silk. As one panel of a triptych, the painting exemplifies the landscape genre through its specific material choices. The application of ink on a silk support allows for the fluid washes and precise brushwork characteristic of the Kanō school's handling of monochromatic imagery.
While the surviving records confirm the medium and format, detailed technical analysis regarding the current condition of the silk or specific conservation history is not provided in the available documentation. The formal qualities focus on the depiction of a moonlit landscape, utilizing the absorbency and texture of the silk to achieve atmospheric depth typical of seventeenth-century Japanese ink painting.
History & Provenance
The painting, dated 1668, is one of three hanging scrolls executed in ink on silk by Kanō Tan’yū. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is presently housed. Earlier ownership, any original commission, or subsequent transfers before its acquisition by the Met are not detailed in the available sources.
The work is classified as a landscape painting and depicts a moonlit mountain scene. It was made in Japan.
The work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is catalogued as part of the museum’s holdings. Formerly presented as a single hanging scroll, it is now recognized as one of a triptych of hanging scrolls painted in ink on silk. The painting has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of its permanent collection displays, situating it within the institution’s broader holdings of Japanese art.
Overview
Kano Tan'yū's Landscape in Moonlight (狩野探幽筆 月夜山水図), created in 1662, is a hanging scroll rendered in ink on silk. This work presents a tranquil nocturnal scene, characterized by a towering mountain and a serene river illuminated by a subtle moon. It exemplifies the artist's mastery in conveying atmospheric depth and emotional resonance through a monochromatic palette, typical of Japanese ink painting traditions.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a solitary mountain rising prominently behind a calm river, all bathed in the soft glow of a faint moon. This celestial light casts a silver-blue hue across the composition, evoking a sense of quiet contemplation and natural grandeur. The scene's stillness and the interplay of light and shadow invite viewers into a meditative experience, reflecting traditional East Asian aesthetic values.
Artist & collection
