Scene Inspired by the Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans 1890s Tomioka Tessai ???? This small work by Tomioka Tessai, often described as one of the last great artists of Japan’s literati painting tradition, is a reworking of a scene from one of the most celebrated works in the history of Japanese painting—the twelfth-century Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans (Ch?j? jinbutsu giga). Designated a National Treasure by the Japanese government, the Ch?j? giga scrolls, as they are called colloquially, consist of four handscrolls depicting a variety of anthropomorphized animals, mythical
Scene Inspired by the Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans 1890s Tomioka Tessai ???? This small work by Tomioka Tessai, often described as one of the last great artists of Japan’s literati painting tradition, is a reworking of a scene from one of the most celebrated works in the history of Japanese painting—the twelfth-century Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans (Ch?j? jinbutsu giga). Designated a National Treasure by the Japanese government, the Ch?j? giga scrolls, as they are called colloquially, consist of four handscrolls depicting a variety of anthropomorphized animals, mythical beasts, and humans engaging in a variety of activities. The present work reimagines an iconic scene from the set’s first scroll that shows a group of animals—rabbits, foxes, and monkeys—dressed as Buddhist monks and worshipping before a frog masquerading as the Buddha. For his picture, Tessai takes eleven figures from the ancient original’s horizontal composition, adjusting their relative size and locations within the composition to accommodate the smaller vertical format. Most prominent is the frog-buddha, who sits in meditation atop a lotus pedestal and before whom fox-, monkey- and rabbit-monks chant Buddhist Scene Inspired by the Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans. Tomioka Tessai ???? (Japanese, 1836–1924). Japan. 1890s. Hanging scroll; ink and color on satin. Meiji Period (1868–1912). Paintings
Size: 3002px × 4000px
Photo credit: © MET/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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