A Poetic Gathering

Description

In Japan, both Chinese-style poems (kanshi) and Edo period Japanese poems (haikai) paralleled the Chinese literati and Japanese painting haiga traditions. Edo literati painter Matsumura Goshun painted eight poets from the anthology of 36 haikai poets compiled by his teacher Yosa Buson. When Buson died in 1783, Matsumura was asked to care for his teacher’s young daughter; Matsumura added paintings to Buson’s poetic writings to sell and raise money for her marriage. Here, he included Buson’s poem at the top of the painting.

Provenance

(Andreas Leisinger, Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1983); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1983–)

A Poetic Gathering

Matsumura Goshun

late 1700s–early 1800s

Accession Number

1983.188

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

Image: 106.4 x 26.8 cm (41 7/8 x 10 9/16 in.); Overall: 184.2 x 34 cm (72 1/2 x 13 3/8 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund