Lonely Temple and Towering Cliff

c. 1480

Kenkō Shōkei

Kenkō Shōkei (Japanese, active 1478–1506)

Japanese Art

Lonely Temple and Towering Cliff, c. 1480. Circle of Kenkō Shōkei (Japanese, active 1478–1506). Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on paper; painting only: 85.1 x 31.2 cm (33 1/2 x 12 5/16 in.); including mounting: 172.2 x 44.1 cm (67 13/16 x 17 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1955.45

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Kenkō Shōkei
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: hanging scroll; ink and slight color on paper
Medium: hanging, scroll, ink, slight, color, paper
Dimensions: Painting only: 85.1 x 31.2 cm (33 1/2 x 12 5/16 in.); Including mounting: 172.2 x 44.1 cm (67 13/16 x 17 3/8 in.)
Inscribed: Translation: A lonely temple lies West of the towering cliff;/ Where the old bridge is resting, the waves lost into dusk./ Looking at the plums, two scholars are pondering; lightly they beat on their knees;/ "Which is to be considered first, the poem or the title of the poem?" Signed: The Boundless Treasury of Plum Blossoms, Banri. Three Seals: Chinzan; Banri; Hogai Remark: A poem of 35 characters in Chinese with the three seals of Priest Banri (c. 1416–90) of Sokoku-ji in Kyoto, an important Zen center, especially for painting.
Departments: Japanese Art
Accession Number: 1955.45
Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
Exhibitions: Japanese Art in America, Tea Taste in Japanese Art, <em>Tea taste in Japanese art</em>. Asia House Gallery, New York, NY (1963).
Rights Statement: CC0