Artwork

Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines

Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines is an unspecified painting by the Joseon dynasty painting artist Konoe Nobuhiro. It dates from 1616 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a page from the Wakan rōeishū anthology surrounded by rendered arrowroot vines, a motif that evokes endurance and scholarly refinement in the Japanese cultural context. Its subject merges poetic texts with botanical imagery to symbolize the harmony between literature and nature, reflecting the aesthetic ideals of the early Edo period.

History & Provenance

The album’s creation coincides with the Edo period, reflecting the cultural milieu of early seventeenth-century Japan.

The album Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines was painted in 1616 by Konoe Nobuhiro, as recorded in the work’s internal documentation. The painting’s early history is not specified in available sources; it entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art by an unspecified date and remains in that institution’s holdings. The album’s creation coincides with the Edo period, reflecting the cultural milieu of early seventeenth-century Japan.

The painting Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines by Konoe Nobuhiro is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, created in Japan in 1616, is part of the museum's permanent holdings. Specific inventory or accession numbers for this object are not provided in the available sources, nor is a detailed exhibition history recorded in the given materials.

Overview

Created in 1616 by Konoe Nobuhiro, this painted screen, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, combines visual and literary elements. A warm gold ground is overlaid with a lattice of green arrowroot vines and leaves. Within the foliage hang numerous small paper panels, each bearing faint ink sketches or calligraphic text, arranged as a cohesive decorative whole.

Technique & Style

The work employs an underpainting of arrowroot vines rendered in delicate green pigment, set against a luminous gold base. Ink drawings and calligraphy on the paper inserts are executed with fine brushwork, allowing the images and characters to remain subtle. The screen’s construction mimics a set of folding doors, a format common in early‑modern Japanese interior decoration.

Context

During the early 17th century, Japanese aristocratic culture prized the synthesis of poetry and painting, especially in portable screens used for interior display. The inclusion of both Japanese and Chinese verses reflects the period’s reverence for Chinese literary tradition alongside native forms, situating the work within a broader East Asian aesthetic dialogue.