Artwork
瑞巖龍惺・竹香全悟・九淵龍賝・南江宗沅・ 翺之慧鳳賛 東坡笠屐図|Su Shi (Dongpo) in a Bamboo Hat and Clogs
瑞巖龍惺・竹香全悟・九淵龍賝・南江宗沅・ 翺之慧鳳賛 東坡笠屐図|Su Shi (Dongpo) in a Bamboo Hat and Clogs is an ink painting by Kyūen Ryūchin. It dates from 1460 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The imagery symbolizes Su Shi's resilience, adaptability, and ability to find joy and dignity in humble or adverse circumstances.
The work depicts a single man, identified by the title as Su Shi (Dongpo), portrayed wearing a bamboo hat and clogs. This specific iconography references the famous historical anecdote of the Song dynasty poet visiting a friend in Hainan during a rainstorm, when he borrowed local peasant attire to shield himself from the elements. The imagery symbolizes Su Shi's resilience, adaptability, and ability to find joy and dignity in humble or adverse circumstances.
As a subject in Japanese ink painting from 1425, the figure represents the ideal of the wandering scholar-poet who remains spiritually unbroken despite exile or hardship.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1425 in Japan, executed in ink on paper as a hanging scroll. It is attributed to Zuigan Ryūsei, with collaborative inscriptions and verses by Chikkō Zengo, Kōshi Ehō, Nankō Sōgen, and Kyūen Ryūsei.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently located. No further details on commission, intermediate ownership, or transmission history are documented in the available sources.
The painting is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which holds it in its collection. According to Wikidata, the work is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was made in Japan in 1425. No inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Kyūen Ryūchin’s hanging scroll, executed in ink on paper around 1460, presents a solitary figure wearing a broad bamboo hat and wooden clogs. The composition is rendered on an otherwise empty surface, emphasizing the lone wanderer’s quiet presence.
Technique & Style
The scroll employs the restrained brushwork typical of Zen ink painting, with minimal strokes that suggest the hat’s brim and the clogs’ outlines. The sparse background reinforces the meditative atmosphere, allowing the viewer’s eye to rest on the essential forms.
Context
In the mid‑15th century, Japanese Zen artists often incorporated Chinese literary figures into their works, reflecting a cultural exchange that prized both artistic skill and scholarly allusion. This piece exemplifies that synthesis, merging Chinese poetic identity with Japanese Zen aesthetics.
Artist & collection
Artist
Japanese, died 1498|Japanese, 1414–ca.1465|Japanese, 1378–1463|Japanese, 1384–1460|Japanese, died after 1464
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