Three Kyōgen Dancers

Three Kyōgen Dancers

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This appears to be a preliminary drawing by Kyōsai for a painting of kyōgen (humorous dramatic) performance. The annotations are also in the artist’s hand, giving instructions how to color or finish off the drawings. The partial seal in the upper right corner is that of his pupil Mano Kyōtei (Yasokichi, 1874/5–1937) who assisted him on many projects and inherited many Kyōsai drawings.


Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Three Kyōgen DancersThree Kyōgen DancersThree Kyōgen DancersThree Kyōgen DancersThree Kyōgen Dancers

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.