Landscape with Cranes

Datelate 19th century

MediumSix-fold screen; ink, colors and gold on paper

Dimensions66 3/8 x 140 inches (168.6 x 355.6 cm)

CultureJapan

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Ray E. Benson, Jr.

Terms

Decorative Arts
Landscape
Screen
Japanese
Six-fold screen: ink, color, and gold
Animals
Bamboo
Birds
Bodies of water
Flowers
Landscapes
Manchurian cranes
Mountains
Peonies
Pine trees
Plum blossoms
Plum trees
Rivers
Seasons
Waterfalls
Winter
Paper

Object number87.041

Label CopyThis folding screen presents auspicious motifs associated with the lunar New Year and the anticipation of spring. A cohort of cranes, representing longevity and loyalty, appear in a landscape with distant mountain peaks, a waterfall, and the Three Friends of Winter (sochikubai): pine, bamboo and plum. Symbols of the Confucian scholar and of the coming of spring, the Three Friends of Winter are celebrated in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures. The pine tree remains evergreen and stands for steadfastness and long life; the bamboo represents resilience because it can bend with strong wind but will not break; and the plum tree signifies perseverance since it is the first to bloom in late winter or early spring, often while there is still snow on the ground. The landscape also includes camellia, another early spring bloomer, admired for its graceful red flowers that emerge in cold conditions. The conservation of this screen was made possible by a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

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