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Gallery Text

Tress-like waves roil in every direction around islets that host uncannily perfect pines. Others take the form of claws as they break, protectively encircling eddies as if clutching an eye, while rows of scaly bubbles on the humped backs of waves yet to crest hint at a vast reptilian presence beneath. This numinous marine scene is a re-adaptation of a hallmark image of the School of Kōrin, whose painters creatively copied specific motifs in order to affirm their affiliation with the lineage. Extant full-size folding screens by Tawaraya Sōtatsu (active c. 1600–1640) and Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) and reproductions in woodblock-printed compilations of School of Kōrin paintings (such as those in the case below) demonstrate that several well-known versions of the subject existed. Here, Kiitsu has adapted the composition to suit the needs of this unusual, compact format.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
TL42096.15
People
Suzuki Kiitsu 鈴木其一, Japanese (Omi Province 1796 - 1858)
Title
Waves at Matsushima
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1833–43
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, Japan
Period
Edo period, 1615-1868
Culture
Japanese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/340481

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Three of a set of four sliding doors (kobusuma); ink, color, and sprinkled gold on paper; enameled door-pulls (hikite)
Dimensions
each: 24.1 × 40.7 cm (9 1/2 × 16 in.)
both panels in orginal frame: 28.6 × 98.5 cm (11 1/4 × 38 3/4 in.)
overall, board mounted on: 40.5 × 100 × 4 cm (15 15/16 × 39 3/8 × 1 9/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • signature: 噲々其一筆 [Kaikai Kiitsu hitsu]
  • seal: square, relief: 元長 [Genchō]

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Promised gift of Robert S. and Betsy G. Feinberg
Object Number
TL42096.15
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Publication History

  • The Flowering of Edo Period Painting: Japanese Masterworks from the Feinberg Collection, exh. cat., Yomiuri Shinbunsha (Tokyo, 2013), pp. 58-59, cat. 15
  • Suntory Museum of Art, Himeji City Museum of Art, and Hosomi Art Museum, ed., Suzuki Kiitsu: Standard-bearer of the Edo Rimpa School, exh. cat., Yomiuri Shinbunsha (Tokyo, 2016-2017), pp. 74-75 and p. 278, cat. 46
  • Rachel Saunders and Yukio Lippit, Painting Edo: Selections from the Feinberg Collection of Japanese Art, exh. cat. (Cambridge, MA, 2020), pp. 48-49, figs. 36-37

Exhibition History

  • The Flowering of Edo Period Painting: Japanese Masterworks from the Feinberg Collection, Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum, 05/21/2013 - 07/15/2013; Miho Museum, 07/20/2013 - 08/18/2013; Tottori Prefectural Museum, 10/05/2013 - 11/10/2013
  • 32Q: 2600 East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/29/2021 - 07/17/2022
  • Suzuki Kiitsu: Standard-bearer of the Edo Rimpa School, Suntory Museum of Art, Tokyo, 09/10/2016 - 10/30/2016; Himeji City Museum of Art, 11/12/2016 - 12/25/2016; Hosomi Art Museum, Kyoto, 01/03/2017 - 02/19/2017
  • Painting Edo: Japanese Art from the Feinberg Collection, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/14/2020 - 06/06/2021

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu