Artwork

秋夜長物語絵巻断簡|The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yonaga monogatari)

秋夜長物語絵巻断簡|The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yonaga monogatari) is an ink painting. It dates from 1400 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The work is a fragment of a handscroll that has been remounted as a hanging scroll. Executed in ink and color on paper, the piece dates to approximately 1400. As a landscape painting, it depicts a bridge scene characteristic of the narrative style associated with the Aki no yonaga monogatari. The artwork was created in Japan by an anonymous painter.

History & Provenance

The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night is a fragmentary handscroll remounted as a hanging scroll, dated to 1400 and produced in Japan.

The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night is a fragmentary handscroll remounted as a hanging scroll, dated to 1400 and produced in Japan. No information is provided about its original commission, patron, or the circumstances of its creation, and the artist remains anonymous.

The work is now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified as a painting. The sources do not document any earlier ownership history, intermediate collectors, or acquisition details preceding its presence at the museum.

Context

The fragment titled “The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night” is a 1400 Japanese landscape painting executed in ink and color on paper, originally part of a handscroll and later mounted as a hanging scroll. It portrays a bridge, aligning with the landscape genre documented for early Muromachi works.

The piece is attributed to an anonymous painter and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reflecting its recognition within scholarly collections and its role as an example of early Japanese landscape painting. Its survival offers insight into the anonymous workshop practices that shaped the genre.

Overview

This artwork, titled The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yonaga monogatari), depicts a bridge within a Japanese landscape. Originally part of a longer handscroll, this piece is now presented as a hanging scroll. Executed with ink and color on paper, it represents a segment of a narrative whose complete content is not fully preserved, offering a glimpse into a broader, untold story.

Subject & Meaning

The painting portrays a bridge set within a detailed Japanese landscape, suggesting a specific moment in a narrative. Despite its title, The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night, the complete story from which this fragment originates remains largely unknown. The visual elements invite contemplation of the journey or transition symbolized by the bridge, hinting at the conclusion of an unspecified autumn night's tale.