Chrysanthemums at the Eastern Fence

Chrysanthemums at the Eastern Fence

Tsubaki Kakoku

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The inscription by the artist Kakoku on this charming painting states that he painted it in homage to a painting of the same subject by the Qing Chinese artist Yun Shouping (1633–1690). Beloved by generations of poets and painters in China, the chrysanthemums that grew at the eastern fence of the garden belonging to the poet Tao Yuanming (365–427) had a special resonance among Japanese literati. The son and student of Chinzan, who was a leading pupil of the realist painter Watanabe Kazan (1793–1841), Kakoku died quite young, leaving only a small number of works.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Chrysanthemums at the Eastern FenceChrysanthemums at the Eastern FenceChrysanthemums at the Eastern FenceChrysanthemums at the Eastern FenceChrysanthemums at the Eastern Fence

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.