Irises
Watanabe Shikō · early-mid 1700s · Cleveland Museum of Art
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Guide
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From the museum
The subject of this painting comes from a 10th-century text. It tells of a young nobleman’s journey into the lonely countryside, far from the capital city of Heian-kyō (Kyoto). There he came upon a small stream, the banks of which were covered with blooming irises, on which the artist has chosen to focus our attention. While viewing the beautiful flowers the nobleman composed a poem: I have a beloved wife, Familiar as the skirt of a well-worn robe, And so this distant journeying Fills my heart with grief.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Watanabe Shikō (Japanese, 1683–1755)
- Date
- early-mid 1700s
- Medium
- pair of six-panel folding screens, ink and color on gilded paper
- Dimensions
- Painting (each): 154.4 x 360.4 cm (60 13/16 x 141 7/8 in.); Mounted (each): 170.7 x 376.7 cm (67 3/16 x 148 5/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- Japan
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Gift of The Norweb Foundation
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
More by Watanabe Shikō
Shown in
- Japanese Gallery 235 RotationJan 7, 2019 – Jul 8, 2019
- Streams and Mountains Without End: Asian Art and the Legacy of Sherman E. Lee at the Cleveland Museum of ArtJun 27, 2009 – Aug 23, 2009
- Unfolding Beauty: Japanese Screens from the Cleveland Museum of ArtJul 15, 2001 – Sep 16, 2001
- Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the CollectionSep 17, 1991 – Jan 5, 1992
- Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art MuseumJun 7, 1991 – Sep 8, 1991
