Waves

Nakamura Hōchū (Japanese, d. 1819)

late 1700s-early 1800s

Medium
fan painting mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color with gold on paper
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
Image: 39.8 x 53 cm (15 11/16 x 20 7/8 in.); Overall: 126.4 x 61.3 cm (49 3/4 x 24 1/8 in.)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art, Japanese Art
Credit line
John L. Severance Fund
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

Nakamura Hōchū painted waves on this handheld fan to bring coolness to the mind of its bearer. While fragile paper fans are often used for a single season, this one was cherished for its design. Someone carefully removed it from its folding apparatus and converted it into a hanging scroll for occasional enjoyment in an alcove.