The four accomplishments

Unknown (Japanese)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

early 18th century

Height:

145.5 cm  (57 5/16 in.)

Width:

348.0 cm  (137 in.)

dimensions are for each screen painting; mountings: 162.6 × 365.4 cm

Technique / Medium:

ink, color and gold on paper

Place of creation:

Nihon [Japan] (日本国)

School:

Edo period

Additional titles

Description

This work is a pair of large six-panel folding screens; panels on the right of the second screen include a scene with musicians (courtesans) playing zither [koto], and a shamisen. The following is the gallery text from the museum's website: The four accomplishments long celebrated in Chinese scholarly circles — playing the zither, mastering chess, practicing calligraphy, and painting — were established as a painting subject in Japan by the 15th century. In this vibrant pair of screens, fashionably dressed men and women play Chinese chess to the accompaniment of the zither in springtime (right) and create ink paintings and compose poetry in autumn (left). Yet those pictured in the lakeside pavilion are not Chinese aristocrats but sophisticated courtesans entertaining patrons. The screens offer an up-to-the-moment Edo parody of the venerable Chinese theme.

Iconclass

48C753
more than one musician with instrument
33C521
courtesan, hetaera
48C732
string instruments (plucked)

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Koto [3668]
Shamisen [3451]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

5825