Landscape wtih figures, one of a pair

This screen depicts a well-known Chinese poet in a landscape setting. The Song dynasty poet Lin Hejing and his young servant watch a crane—their pet—in flight. Gentle hills, pine trees, and bamboo surround the poet's modest dwellings. The representation in art of an ideal life of seclusion became popular in the Muromachi period (1392–1573), when, influenced by the tastes of Zen Buddhist temples, the warrior class began to appreciate the muted expressiveness of delicate ink paintings. While the samurai enjoyed lavish, glittering golden screens in their courts and castles, some of their screens and doors represented literary themes, executed in ink monochrome. The accompanying screen (B60D74+) features another Chinese poet, Tao Yuanming, enjoying a drink while lost in the contemplation of an expansive mountain landscape.