Who painted 芥子図|Poppies?

芥子図|Poppies was painted by Kitagawa Sōsetsu in mid-17th century.

Where can I see 芥子図|Poppies?

芥子図|Poppies is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 芥子図|Poppies?

芥子図|Poppies is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

芥子図|Poppies

Kitagawa Sōsetsu , 1650

芥子図|Poppies is a gold painting by the Baroque artist Kitagawa Sōsetsu. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 29.100.524
Credit line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929

About this work

Subject & Meaning

By presenting the flower at this scale on a hanging scroll, Sōsetsu elevated a humble seasonal bloom into a refined object of contemplation.

The hanging scroll depicts poppies as its sole subject, rendered in color and gold on paper. As a still life, the work isolates the flower from any landscape or narrative context, drawing attention to the poppy's form and ornamental qualities through the use of gold leaf against the paper ground.

In Japanese visual culture, the poppy (keshi) carries associations tied to delicate beauty and the transience of bloom, and its pairing with gold-ground techniques was common in seventeenth-century decorative painting. By presenting the flower at this scale on a hanging scroll, Sōsetsu elevated a humble seasonal bloom into a refined object of contemplation.

Technique & Style

Kitagawa Sōsetsu's Poppies is executed in color and gold on paper, mounted as a hanging scroll. The vertical format measures 87 by 37.1 cm, a tall, narrow proportion typical of the hanging-scroll tradition. The work is classified as a still-life painting depicting poppies, and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

History & Provenance

The hanging scroll Poppies (芥子図) by Kitagawa Sōsetsu is dated to 1650, aligning with the artist's active period in the mid-17th century. Executed in color and gold on paper, it measures 87 cm in height by 37.1 cm in width and is classified as a painting depicting poppies. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is currently held.

Its provenance prior to the museum's acquisition is not documented in the available sources, which provide no accession number or exhibition history for the piece.

Overview

Kitagawa Sōsetsu’s hanging scroll, dated to around 1650, presents a solitary poppy rendered in vivid red against a luminous gold ground. Executed in color and gold on paper, the work exemplifies a restrained composition in which the flower occupies the central space while the surrounding surface remains largely unfilled, inviting quiet contemplation.