Artwork
Waves
Waves is an unspecified painting by the Romanticist artist Nakamura Hōchū. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1999.90
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
About this work
You see a single wave curling across a paper fan, ink so dark it looks wet.
This fan wasn’t meant to last, most were tossed after summer. Someone loved this one enough to peel it off the ribs and turn it into a scroll. Now it hangs like a quiet poem in a corner.
Look up more fans from Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) to see how everyday objects became art.
Overview
Waves is a painting on a repurposed handheld fan, transformed into a hanging scroll.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork depicts a single wave curling across the surface, rendered in dark ink. The wave motif was likely intended to evoke a sense of coolness for the fan's original user.
History & Provenance
Originally designed for a disposable paper fan used during the summer, this example was preserved and converted into a hanging scroll, suggesting it was valued for its design.
Context
This painting is related to a tradition of decorating everyday objects, such as fans, during the Edo period in Japan.
Artist & collection
