Monkey Leader and Monkey Under a Willow Tree
Artist/Maker
Ishikawa Toyonobu 石川豊信
(Japanese, 1711–1785)
Publisher
Urokogataya Magobei 鱗形屋孫兵衛
Datelate 1750s–early 1760s
MediumWoodblock print (benizuri-e); ink and limited color on paper
DimensionsVertical hosoban; overall: 12 3/16 × 5 11/16 in. (31 × 14.5 cm)
Credit LineMary A. Ainsworth Bequest
Object number1950.207
Status
Not on viewIt was widely believed that monkeys possessed the special ability to exorcise the illnesses of horses during the Edo period of Japan (1603–1868). Monkey leaders, or trainers, were commissioned to stage performances in front of horses so they could stay healthy and strong. In this print, the willow in the background symbolizes the arrival of spring, the season when monkey leaders were most active. The willow was believed to have the power to purify the world, here referencing the act of exorcism. The gentle curves and branches of the willow echo the feminine nature of the monkey trainer, as the poem inscribed on the image indicates: “The monkey leader is gentle in the light: a willowy waist.”
Exhibition History
Exploring Reciprocity: The Power of Animals in Non-Western Art
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 31, 2017 - June 4, 2017 )
Collections
- Asian
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late 19th century
late 19th century
late 19th–early 20th century
late 19th century