Ebisu fishing

Maker(s)
Artist: Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎 (1831-1889)
Historical period(s)
Meiji era, 1868-1889
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 26.7 x 38.8 cm (10 1/2 x 15 1/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1975.29.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Drawing
Type

Album leaf

Keywords
Ebisu, fishing, Japan, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Lively sketches by the nineteenth-century artist Kawanabe Kyosai reveal the variety of traditional Chinese and Japanese legends that were popular in the Meiji era, when Japan was rapidly modernizing along Western technological models. In this sketch, the deity Ebisu catches a red tai (sea-bream). The artist's mastery of draftsmanship and control of tonal renderings can be appreciated in these lively scenes. Both Daikoku and Ebisu are often included in pictures of the shichifukujin (Seven gods of good fortune).

See also F1975.29.5 and F1975.29.12.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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