Click image to view full screen
Portrait of Basho
✓ Authenticity guarantee · ✓ Specialist condition report · ✓ Insured worldwide shipping · ✓ Private-room viewing
The 15th-century poet Matsuo Basho is still considered Japan’s greatest master of the haiku poem, a short, 17-syllable verse form that relates some aspect of nature to the human experience. Although he was one of the most celebrated men of his day, he pursued a simple life of self-imposed poverty and solitude. In this portrait, Ichijun alluded to Matsuo’s haiku about the transient life: <em>warau beshi naku beshi, waga asagao no, shibomu toki</em> (to smile or to cry when my face in the morning [glory] is wilted).
| Artist / Maker | Ichijun |
|---|---|
| Date | 1700s |
| Culture / Origin | Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) |
| Medium | hanging scroll; ink and color on paper |
| Dimensions | Painting only: 28.2 x 47 cm (11 1/8 x 18 1/2 in.); Including mounting: 112.5 x 64.2 cm (44 5/16 x 25 1/4 in.) |
| Department | Japanese Art |
| Type | Painting |
About the Artist
Ichijun (Japanese, active 1700s) 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.
Shipping & Collection
Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.
Buying at Matchless Pieces
Register, verify your identity, and bid online or in a private room. Buyer’s premium and taxes are shown before you confirm.
