| Home Page |

Mandarin Ducks Amid Snowy Reeds

	Object Type	18th Century Japanese Scroll
	Artist	Jakuchu
	Period	Middle Edo
	Materials	Color on Silk
	Creation Date	ca. 1755
	Dimensions	110.4 cm. x 51 cm. (43 1/2 in. x 20 1/8 in.)

Commentary

Mandarin ducks, male and female, are playing in the water. The male proudly displaying his beautiful gingko-leaf shaped tail feathers leisurely glides through the water's surface. The female is either fishing for food or is simply ducking part way under the water. The pictorial expression in which the male's leg and the female's head are faintly seen through the water is quite interesting. Similar representation can be found in works such as Maruyama Okyo's triptych of "The God of Longevity and Waterfowl" (Kitano Museum of Art); however, Jakuchu's work precedes Okyo's by thirty years. It is possible that this type of pictorial expression already existed in China by Jakuchu's time.   Although he studied many classic and naturalistic representations of ducks, Jakuchu's particular artistic characteristics can be clearly seen in the depiction of the withered reeds laden with snow. The old reeds are strangely formed to simulate common walkingstick insects wrapped in phlegmatic coatings of snow. These forms create an added emphasis on the outer edges of the picture. In contrast, the mandarin ducks appear quite vivid and lively. This same manner of expression, the combination of a powerful subject amid surrealistic surroundings, appears time and again in Jakuchu's works including his life masterpiece, the series "Doshoku Sai-e" ("Colorful Realm of Living Beings"). Jakuchu used a seal reading "Shin'i wo hatto no uchi ni idasu (A new concept departing from established precedent)," and most likely one of the secret "new concepts" can be found in this particular manner of pictorial expression.   At the far left is the artist's signature, "Painted by Jakuchu koji, To Jokin, of Heian-jo (Kyoto) at the humble studio in the Nishiki (Brocade) neighborhood," followed by the round intaglio seal, "Jokin," and the seal in square relief reading, "Tansei wa rosho ni itaru wo shirazu." This same signature and seals can be found on other paintings, beginning with "Herbaceous Peonies and Butterflies" from the "Doshoku Sai-e" series and including "Rooster, Hen and Hydrangeas" and "Rooster and Blossoming Plum in Snow" (Ryosokuin, Kyoto) among others. Based upon the close similarity in calligraphy, one can surmise that these works were produced around the same time, that is around 1756 or 1757. By rearranging the composition of this painting, Jakuchu produced other works such as "Mandarin Ducks Amid Snow-Covered Reeds" from the "Doshoku Sai-e" series and "Blossoming Plum and Mandarin Ducks in Snow." - Kono