Description
This is a portrait study of the monk Seigen (1162–1231). The inscription identifies him and notes that the study is after a portrait in the subtemple Jizō’in at Daigoji. The artist included scars from an illness, and made notations about the colors the clothing should be. Seigen was abbot of Daigoji, one of the most influential Esoteric Buddhist temples in Japanese history.
Provenance
(Shunichi Yabumoto Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan,sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?-1982); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1982-)
Accession Number
1982.55
Medium
hanging scroll; ink and slight color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 25.5 x 40.9 cm (10 1/16 x 16 1/8 in.); Overall: 107.8 x 53.4 cm (42 7/16 x 21 in.); with knobs: 107.8 x 58.2 cm (42 7/16 x 22 15/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund