Maize and Cockscombs (mid 17th century): Artwork and History

Maize and Cockscombs (mid 17th century) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Artist unknown Japanese.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

During the Edo period, the prosperity and political unification of Japan under the ruling Tokugawa shoguns led to the emergence of a magnificent Japanese decorative style characterized by a love of bold patterns and bright colors. This new style was supported by the military class, a disenfranchised aristocracy, and a thriving class of merchants and entrepreneurs. The surviving half of an original pair, this splendid screen elegantly embodies both the techniques of ancient court painters and the curiosity and confidence so prevalent in the Edo period. Bursting with sensual fullness, the maize and cockscombs are rendered with the accuracy of a botanical drawing, a testimony to the era’s interest in natural science. The appearance of maize, a grain not native to Japan, indicates a willingness to assimilate new subject matter on the part of Edo artists and patrons.

Object facts

• Title: Maize and Cockscombs
• Date: mid 17th century
• Artist attribution: Artist unknown Japanese
• Place of origin: Japan
• Medium: Six-panel screen; ink, color, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: 170.2 × 357 cm (67 × 140 1/2 in.)
• Type: Painting
• Department: Arts of Asia
• Reference number: 1959.599

Collection credit

Kate S. Buckingham Endowment

View the original

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.