Artwork
兎を追う鷲図|Eagle Pursuing Rabbit
兎を追う鷲図|Eagle Pursuing Rabbit is an ink painting by the Impressionist artist Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎. It dates from 1885 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kawanabe Kyōsai created Eagle Pursuing Rabbit in 1885, a hanging scroll executed with ink and color on paper.
About this work
He mixed traditional ink brushwork with quick, almost cartoonish energy, something rare at the time.
You see a black eagle diving at a white rabbit in mid-air. The rabbit twists, eyes wide, as the eagle’s talons stretch toward it.
Kyōsai painted this in 1885, when Japan was opening to the West. He mixed traditional ink brushwork with quick, almost cartoonish energy, something rare at the time. The rabbit’s fur looks soft, but the eagle’s feathers are sharp lines, like blades.
If you like this, look up cross-hatching, the way Kyōsai built depth with crisscrossed strokes.
Subject & Meaning
The work titled 兎を追う鷲図 (Eagle Pursuing Rabbit) portrays an eagle in active pursuit of a rabbit. Created by Kawanabe Kyōsai in 1885, the hanging scroll was executed in Japan and is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Its iconography uses the predator-prey dynamic to dramatize a swift, elemental chase, suggesting natural hierarchy and the forceful energy characteristic of Kyōsai's animal compositions.
Technique & Style
The work is a hanging scroll painted in ink and color on paper, created in 1885 by Kawanabe Kyōsai. It portrays a dynamic scene of an eagle in pursuit of a rabbit, reflecting traditional Japanese brush techniques and compositional balance. The piece is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection and was produced in Japan.
Its formal qualities include a fluid ink line, subtle color washes, and a narrative focus on movement and action, characteristic of late-19th-century Japanese animal painting.
History & Provenance
The hanging scroll Eagle Pursuing Rabbit (兎を追う鷲図) was created in 1885 by the Japanese painter Kawanabe Kyōsai and is executed in ink and color on paper. The work is recorded as part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. No specific exhibition history or prior provenance details are provided in the available records.
Overview
Kawanabe Kyōsai created Eagle Pursuing Rabbit in 1885, a hanging scroll executed with ink and color on paper. This painting depicts a dramatic moment as a dark eagle descends upon a white rabbit mid-air. The work showcases Kyōsai's distinctive approach to traditional Japanese painting, blending classical techniques with a dynamic energy that characterized his individualistic style.
Context
Created in 1885, Eagle Pursuing Rabbit emerged during a period of significant societal change in Japan, as the nation increasingly engaged with Western influences. Kawanabe Kyōsai, known for his mastery of traditional painting, continued to innovate within established artistic traditions even as he developed his individualistic style. Art historian Timothy Clark recognized him as the "last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting," highlighting his unique position.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kawanabe Kyōsai (河鍋 暁斎; May 18, 1831 – April 26, 1889) was a Japanese painter and caricaturist. In the words of art historian Timothy Clark, "an individualist and an independent, perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting".
