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The Buddhist Deity Hotei Poling a Skiff with Children at Play
The Buddhist Deity Hotei Poling a Skiff with Children at Play

The Buddhist Deity Hotei Poling a Skiff with Children at Play

Original Language Title布袋と童子
Artist Kano Tan'yū (Japanese, 1602 - 1674)
Calligrapher Ten'yū Jōkō (Japanese, 1586 - 1666)
DateEdo period (1615-1868)
MediumHanging scroll; ink on paper
DimensionsOverall: 46 × 24 1/2 inches (116.84 × 62.23 cm)
Credit LineGift of Josephine Foote in memory of her parents, Dr. Nicholas and Eva Ann Pickard
Object number2008.31
SignedPainter's signature on the lower right of the painting
InscribedOn the lower right, and on the left of the painting
On View
Not on view
Collections
DescriptionThe painting is executed in ink monochrome on paper and mounted in a hanging scroll. The figural image is sketchedly done on the right half of the horizontal composition. The image shows Hotei, the popular Buddhist figure, polling a skiff while two other small kids sit with him. A poem, which is written by a different person, is inscribed on the left half of the painting. The painter's signature appears on the lower right and two seals of the poet are impressed at the end of the poem on the lower left. The painting is sandwiched by two layers of beige embroidery, and all are framed by dark blue brocade. Two "wind strips" are mounted on top of the scroll.Provenance

Possibly Mathew Vladimir Pickard [1];

Possibly by descent to his son, Dr. Nicholas S. Pickard (1910-1993), Mission Hills, KS, 1968-1993 [2];

His bequest to his daughter, Josephine (née Pickard) Foote, Cambridge, MA, 1993-2008 [3];

Her gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2008.

NOTES:

[1] According to Josephine Foote, her grandfather Mathew Vladimir Pickard may have acquired this painting when he lived in Japan, 1939-1940.

[2] Dr. Nicholas S. Pickard was an orthopedic surgeon who served as a trustee for the Nelson-Atkins and was active in the museum’s membership groups.

[3] The painting remained in the possession of Dr. Pickard’s wife, Eva Ann McCluskey Pickard (1914-2008), per the provision of his bequest, until her death in 2008.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


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