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Operating on Guan Yu’s Arm
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Ukiyo-e artists’ subject matter extended to popular literature. Katsushika Ōi used color to great effect in her gruesome version of an episode from a 14th-century Chinese novel, <em>Romance of the Three Kingdoms.</em> Ōi portrayed the passage in which legendary 3rd-century military leader Guan Yu undergoes a bone scraping to remove poisons received from an arrow wound. In this sensationalist portrayal, Guan Yu’s attendants cower at the sight of his bloody arm while he remains unflinchingly focused on his game. As a woman, Ōi was an outlier in her era, but her talent was allowed to shine due to collaboration with her father, Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), the famed designer of the print known as <em>The</em> <em>Great Wave</em>.
| Artist / Maker | Katsushika Ōi |
|---|---|
| Date | 1840s |
| Culture / Origin | Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) |
| Medium | hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk |
| Dimensions | Mounted: 206.7 x 73.1 cm (81 3/8 x 28 3/4 in.); Painting: 140.2 x 68.3 cm (55 3/16 x 26 7/8 in.) |
| Department | Japanese Art |
| Type | Painting |
About the Artist
Artist Ōi was Hokusai's third daughter, and perhaps his most devoted student and a superb talent in her own right. Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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