Untitled
The Met
Artist: Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎(Japanese, 1831–1889)
Date: after 1888
Department: Asian Art
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 38 7/8 x 14 1/4 in. (98.7 x 36.2 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Edward M. Bratter, 1957
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A person rides a large turtle, holding a fishing rod, with a distant city in clouds above
Detailed Description
The painting depicts a person riding a large turtle, with a distant city in the upper background. The background is a light, muted yellow-beige. In the upper third, faint, misty mountains rise above a city. The city features multiple tiered structures, possibly pagodas or temples, and a bridge, all rendered in soft greens and grays, appearing partially obscured by clouds or mist. In the middle section, a person is seated on the back of a large, dark green and brown turtle. The person wears a blue robe with brown accents and light-colored, flowing lower garments. They have dark hair styled in a topknot and a mustache. A long, thin fishing rod extends from their hands towards the upper left. Behind the person's head, a dark, swirling mass, possibly hair or a cloud, extends upwards and to the left. The turtle is depicted with a textured shell, its head and four legs visible as it moves through faint blue-green washes that suggest water or clouds. In the lower left quadrant, below the main figures, there is vertical black script followed by a red square seal. The artwork is framed by a muted gray-green border with a subtle pattern, and narrow gold patterned fabric strips at the very top and bottom.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
