Harvard Art Museums > 1985.590.2: Peonies and Rock Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Add to Collection Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Peonies and Rock (Kiyohara Yukinobu) , 1985.590.2,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 21, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/199884. Identification and Creation Object Number 1985.590.2 People Kiyohara Yukinobu, Japanese (1643 - 1682) Title Peonies and Rock Classification Paintings Work Type hanging scroll, painting Date Early Edo period, second half 17th century Places Creation Place: East Asia, Japan Period Edo period, 1615-1868 Culture Japanese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/199884 Physical Descriptions Medium One (the left) of a pair of hanging scrolls; ink and color on silk, with signature of the artist reading "Kiyohara-shi onna Yukinobu hitsu" Dimensions image only: H. 97.8 x W. 38.5 cm (38 1/2 x 15 3/16 in.) Inscriptions and Marks Signed: Kiyohara-shi onna Yukinobu hitsu Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of the Hofer Collection of the Arts of Asia Accession Year 1985 Object Number 1985.590.2 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Kiyohara Yukinobu was one of the rare women painters affiliated with the Kano school who achieved recognition in her day. Her father was the artist Kusumi Morikage (c. 1620-1690) and her mother, Kuniko, was a niece of the painter Kano Tan'yū (1602-1674). Morikage was one of Tan'yū's most outstanding pupils. Yukinobu lived in Kyoto for most of her life and married another Tan'yū pupil named Kiyohara Hirano Morikiyo. That Yukinobu, her mother, and grandmother were all married to Tan'yū's pupils is evidence of the strong familial bonds characteristic of the Kano school. Yukinobu's thematic range was diverse. She was trained in the academic Chinese styles used for painting landscapes, figures, and birds and flowers. Painted very much in the Chinese manner, this scroll presents peonies and a rock. The Chinese regard the tree peony, or mudan hua, as the "king of flowers." Indigenous to remote, mountainous areas of China, the plant was apparently first cultivated in the imperial gardens during the Sui dynasty (581-618). It gained popularity immediately and was considered the most prized of flowers by the Song dynasty (960-1279); by the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the peony was also regarded as a symbol of wealth because of its numerous petals. Its fame in China ensured the peony's introduction into Korea and Japan, where it also enjoyed great popularity and auspicious symbolism. Exhibition History Women and the Arts of Asia, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/10/1994 - 03/05/1995 Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo: Botanical Motifs and Symbols in East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 07/06/2002 - 01/05/2003 Related Works 1985.590 Kiyohara Yukinobu Chrysanthemums and Bamboo Paintings Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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
