Flowers and Plants of the Four Seasons, 1774
Kakutei 鶴亭 (1722–1785)
Japan, Edo period, 1615–1868
Pair of six-panel folding screens, ink on paper
171.1 x 61.6 cm (painting, each panel)
Saint Louis Art Museum, The Langenberg Endowment Fund and Museum Shop Fund, 20:1996.1-2
See detail:
Kakutei, a native of Nagasaki, was introduced to Zen practice at the city’s most famous
Ōbaku temple, Shōfukuji, and maintained his Ōbaku ties later in life. He trained with early
pioneers of Nagasaki school painting such as the artist Kumashiro Yūhi (1712-1773). In this
pair of screens, Kakutei masterfully expands the Ōbaku repertoire of classic literati plant
subjects (pine, bamboo, chrysanthemum, orchid, and plum) by also brushing more humble
and lush plants (grape, hydrangea, willow, and peony).