Search
Skip to main content
Descending Dragon

Descending Dragon

Artist/Maker (Japanese, 1519–1592)
Date16th century
MediumHanging scroll, ink on paper
DimensionsImage: 43 5/16 × 18 1/2 in. (110 × 47 cm)
Mount: 82 × 24 1/2 in. (208.3 × 62.2 cm)
Width (lower rod): 26 1/2 in. (67.3 cm)
Credit LineCharles F. Olney Fund
Object number1975.63.2
Status
On view
More Information
Dragons were traditionally regarded as auspicious creatures in Chinese and Japanese cultures, and it is possible that these scrolls were painted for a high-ranking aristocrat or warlord to signify the justness and effectiveness of his reign. Inscriptions on the scrolls reveal that they were inspired by the work of a 13th-century Chinese artist named Chen Rong. With their powerful brushwork, well-structured compositions, and Chinese-influenced subject, these paintings are typical of the Kanô family style that dominated Japanese painting between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Exhibition History
Highlights of the Ainsworth Collection of Japanese Woodblock Prints
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (May 15, 1990 - July 18, 1990 )
Aspects of the Asian Collection
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (February 5, 1991 - March 17, 1991 )
Rebirth of the Dragon: Celebrating the Restoration of the Allen's Coiling Dragon
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (September 24, 2024 - December 21, 2024 )
Collections
  • On View
  • Asian
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.