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Confucius at the Apricot Platform with His Disciples

Confucius at the Apricot Platform with His Disciples

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Kana'e Shungaku (after Cheng Yi)

This painting portrays the Chinese sage Confucius in his hometown of Qufu, Shandong, where he gave lectures to pupils on the Apricot Platform named after the grove of apricot trees. The bearded sage sits in front of a large freestanding painted landscape screen, surrounded by his disciples and appreciating the music performed by the two qin players. Confucius’ reputation as a dedicated teacher and music connoisseur is highlighted here. This painting by the Japanese late eighteenth-century artist Kana’e Shungaku is based on a composition by the seventeenth-century Chinese painter Cheng Yi, which was brought to Japan and, there, inspired a number of copies. The pale apricot flowers just barely dot the rugged branches, resonating with the scholarly gathering’s elegant and subdued air.
Artist
Kana'e Shungaku (after Cheng Yi)
(Japanese, 1766 – 1811) (Chinese, Ming Dynasty, late 16th-early 17th century)
Title
Confucius at the Apricot Platform with His Disciples
Date
late 18th-early 19th century
Medium
Ink and color on silk, mounted as hanging scroll
Dimensions
59 1/8 x 39 7/8 in. image
Credit
Richard E. Stockwell Endowment Fund purchase
Accession No.
2011.33
Classification
Paintings
Geography
Japan

Related

2011, sold by Kaikodo LLC (New York, NY) to Chazen Museum of Art

  • Murray, Julia K. “Visualizing Confucius and His Disciples from The Analects,” in Michael Nylan ed., "Confucius The Analects: A Norton Critical Edition." New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. p. 200, no. 6

  • Echoing Overseas: Asian Artistic Exchange: Chazen Museum of Art, 8/8/2022–11/28/2022

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