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The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup

Soga Shōhakulater 1700s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Responding to the desires of the middle class (<em>chonin</em>), some late Edo period Japanese painters moved away from the seriousness associated with the Chinese theme of reclusion, focusing instead on the motif’s humorous aspects. The theme Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup is based on a poem by the renowned 8th-century Chinese poet Du Fu about his eight colleagues. These scholars eagerly sought release from their official governmental duties and then supposedly fled the capital for the countryside. There, they engaged in wildly eccentric behavior and adventurous creative work, all fueled by copious amounts of wine. Shohaku’s version of events exaggerates the scholars’ pleasure, as seen in their comical facial expressions.

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Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup
  • Creator: Soga Shōhaku (Japanese, 1730-1781)
  • Date Created: later 1700s
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 120 x 352.2 cm (47 1/4 x 138 11/16 in.)
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1976.11
  • Medium: pair of six-panel folding screens, ink and cut-gold foil on paper
  • Department: Japanese Art
  • Culture: Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)
  • Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
  • Collection: ASIAN - Folding screen
  • Accession Number: 1976.11
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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