Artwork

狩野探水守常筆蓬莱山・瀟湘八景図|Mount Penglai with Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang

狩野探水守常筆蓬莱山・瀟湘八景図|Mount Penglai with Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang is an ink painting by the Kanō school artist Kano Tansui Moritsune. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The work takes the form of a hanging scroll and belongs to a triptych, indicating that the composition was conceived as one panel within a coordinated set.

Mount Penglai with Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang is executed in ink and color on silk, a traditional East Asian support well suited to layered washes and fine linear work. The work takes the form of a hanging scroll and belongs to a triptych, indicating that the composition was conceived as one panel within a coordinated set. The painting measures 95.3 centimeters in height by 34.3 centimeters in width, a tall and narrow format that emphasizes vertical landscape elements.

Categorized as a landscape painting depicting mountains, the piece reflects the Kano school's established handling of ink and pigment on silk, employing brushwork suited to atmospheric scenery and topographical motifs. The narrow hanging-scroll format supports a vertically oriented reading of the mountain subject.

History & Provenance

The hanging scroll titled Mount Penglai with Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang was created in 1834 by the Japanese artist Kano Tansui Moritsune. Executed in ink and color on silk, this work constitutes one panel of a triptych dedicated to landscape painting. The piece depicts the mythical Mount Penglai alongside scenes from the Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang.

It measures 95.3 cm in height and 34.3 cm in width. Currently, the artwork is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While the specific commissioning patron and the detailed chain of ownership prior to its museum acquisition are not detailed in the available records, the work's creation is firmly dated to the early 19th century within Japan.

The work titled 狩野探水守常筆　蓬莱山・瀟湘八景図 (Mount Penglai with Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang) is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The available records do not provide a specific accession or inventory number for the piece, and no exhibition history is documented in the cited sources. The painting, created in 1834 by Kano Tansui Moritsune, is classified as a landscape work executed in ink and color on silk.

Its current location remains the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is stored as part of the museum’s Asian art holdings.

Overview

Kano Tansui Moritsune created Mount Penglai with Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang in 1834. This landscape painting, executed in ink and color on silk, is one of three hanging scrolls. It presents a central mountain scene alongside smaller depictions of famous landscapes, blending mythical elements with celebrated natural vistas within a single composition.

Subject & Meaning

The central motif of this scroll is Mount Penglai, a legendary island in Chinese mythology believed to be the dwelling place of immortals. It emerges from a swirling mist and waves, with small pavilions nestled on its slopes. Below this grand vista, eight distinct vignettes portray the classic Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang, renowned Chinese landscapes that were frequently reinterpreted by Japanese painters.