Monkey Performance
Yamawaki Tōki
Description
Subject Matter:
Monkey performances or Sarumawashi was a common form of entertainment in Edo Japan. This included dressing up and performing comedic skits or showing off acrobatics of Japanese macaques. The artist, Yamawaki Toki was a pupil of Matsumura Goshun and they both shared a love for comedy in their paintings.
Physical Description:
This is a painting on a 2-fold screen with gold dust. The subject is two human figures and a monkey. The background is covered in gold dust. On the leftmost panel is one figure and above him to the left is an inscription, the author's name. Following the writing is a small red seal. The figure is sitting down and smiling towards the right holding a string. On the right panel is the monkey and a person behind it. The monkey is wearing human-like clothes and stands on its hind legs. The person behind it follows and laughs. Although this man is wearing a hat, he is wearing white clothes similar to the man behind him on the other panel. The monkey wears red and a hat.
Usage Rights:
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