Accession Number
1986/1.162

Title
Scholars in a Thatched Hut Under an Old Tree

Artist(s)
Tanomura Chokunyū

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
late 19th century - early 20th century

Medium & Support
ink on silk

Dimensions
7.9 x 7 1/4 in. (20.16 x 18.26 cm)

Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund

Label copy

This small work was once part of a collaborative album
(a compilation of works by di erent artists). Here it has
been mounted as a hanging scroll—an act that marks a fundamental shift in its use and meaning. An album is held in the hand by a single individual, who turns the pages at will, controlling the pace and sequence of a private viewing. A hanging scroll, by contrast, is meant for display. Both the intimate scale and the theme of companionship make this painting a good choice for a small tearoom alcove. The artist, Tanomura Chokunyu ̄, was the son of a minor local o cial in Kyushu. At age eight he began to study painting with Tanomura Chikuden (1777–1835), renowned for his works in the Nanga style, a painting school inspired by the Chinese literati (amateur-scholar) tradition. The master saw such promise in the boy that he adopted him. 

Subject matter
This small work was once part of a collaborative album. Here it has been mounted as a hanging scroll—an act that marks a fundamental shift in its use and meaning. An album is held in the hand by a single individual, who turns the pages at will, controlling the pace and sequence of a private viewing. A hanging scroll, by contrast, is meant for display. Both the intimate scale and the theme of companionship make this painting a good choice for a small tearoom alcove.

Physical Description
The painting has a large tree in the forground, behind which is positioned a small hut which has two figures seated inside. Behind the hut are mountains and a small path disappearing in the distance on the bottom left of the image. 

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
figure painting

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Figures
Landscapes
autumn
calligraphy
calligraphy (process)
figures in landscape
gates
hills
human figures (visual works)
huts (houses)
landscapes (representations)
mountains
rivers
thatched
trails
trees