One Hundred Old Men Gathering for a Drinking Party

View right to left

Maker(s)
Artist: Ike Taiga ę± å¤§é›… (1723-1776)
Historical period(s)
Edo period, 18th century
Medium
Ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 53.8 x 292.3 cm (21 3/16 x 115 1/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase ā€” Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1960.22
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Handscroll

Keywords
celebration, drinking, Edo period (1615 - 1868), elder, Japan, ukiyo-e
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

This handscroll shows a large group of elderly men proceeding toward a rural village to the left. There, a convivial party is in progress. The landscape is fluently painted with rough sweeps of ink depicting distant hills, foreground rocks and trees. Touches of gold and color are freely applied. 

The painter's depiction of the crowd of celebrants is lively and humorous. Although the figures are painted in the most abbreviated manner, repeating a formula for faces like the patterns of foliage or the forms of rocks, their expressions are varied and engaging. The painting is replete with charming details such as the rooster on the thatched roof watching over his family below. The inventive freedom of Taiga's style in his late 30s is apparent in this energetic and exuberant work.

Published References
  • Zaigai hiho [(Japanese Paintings in Western Collections]. 3 vols., Tokyo. vol. 1: pt. I & II, pp. 110-111, vol. 1, pt. I & II, pl. 85.
  • Suzuki Susumu. Ike no Taiga. no. 114 Tokyo, November 1975. fig. 100.
  • Great Drawings of All Time. 4 vols., New York. pl. 919.
  • Mayuyama Junkichi. Japanese Art in the West. Tokyo. pl. 285.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Thomas Lawton, Harold P. Stern. The Freer Gallery of Art. 2 vols., Washington and Tokyo, 1971-1972. cat. 55, vol. 2: p. 169.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 133.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use