On a Rustic Bridge, Carrying a Zither

Urakami (Uragami) Gyokudō 浦上玉堂

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

An elderly man with a servant carrying a zither (Chinese: qin; Japanese: koto) on his back traverses a bridge toward an awaiting acquaintance. Characteristic of Uragami Gyokudō’s later works, from his sixties and early seventies, the painting at first glance seems uncontrolled; short twigs explode from trees like firecrackers and dry willow leaves burst forth in scratchy lines. On closer inspection, however, this work reveals a careful structure: the mountains, hills, and rocks roughly laid out in light washes of ink, which are animated by darker strokes applied in clear, rhythmic movements that impart life and vitality to the forms. Gyokudō was a retainer for the Ikeda daimyo clan in Okayama in his early career. At age forty-nine he retired to pursue the life of a literatus, focusing on performing and composing for the seven-stringed zither (shichigenkin) as well as painting expressive ink landscapes.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art