雲谷等顔筆 蜆子和尚図|Priest Xianzi
second half 16th century–early 17th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions
Image: 42 1/2 × 18 11/16 in. (108 × 47.4 cm) Overall with knobs: 74 1/8 × 25 3/4 in. (188.3 × 65.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2019
Accession Number
2019.420.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant Momoyama period (1573–1615), a time of bold artistic experimentation in Japan amid samurai culture and castle-building fervor, Unkoku Tōgan crafted this striking hanging scroll, *Priest Xianzi*. Tōgan (1547–1616), a master of the Unkoku school, drew from the legacy of ink-painting pioneer Sesshū Tōyō, blending Zen-inspired minimalism with dynamic brushwork. This portrait, signed "Unkoku Tōgan's brush," captures the eccentric Chinese monk Priest Xianzi (蜆子和尚), evoking the playful yet profound spirit of Chan (Zen) Buddhist figures who embodied enlightenment through unconventional ...
About the Artist
Unkoku Tōgan · 1547–1618
Japanese, 1547–1618