  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  Folding screens, invented by the Chinese to avert drafts and prying eyes, became an important format for Japanese painters. This expansive pair of screens begins with the masterful arrangement of Manchurian cranes among water reeds. Every major master in the Rimpa school executed at least one painting of the &acirc;&#128;&#156;thousand cranes,&acirc;&#128;&#157; symbols of longevity. Kiitsu is often considered the last great master of the Rimpa school. His satisfying balance of realism and the decorative application of touches of red, green, and blue within a predominantly monochrome palette on a shimmering gold ground make this one of his most popular and exemplary works.
  
  
  Title
  Reeds and Cranes
  
  
  Artwork Date
  19th century
  
  Artist
  Suzuki Kiitsu
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1796-1858
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Japanese
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Six-panel folding screen; color paint and gold on silk
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall (fully open): 69 7/8 &Atilde;&#151; 145 1/4 inches (177.5 cm &Atilde;&#151; 3 m 68.9 cm)
  Installed (with 40" wide angles): 69 7/8 &Atilde;&#151; 122 &Atilde;&#151; 15 inches (177.5 &Atilde;&#151; 309.9 &Atilde;&#151; 38.1 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase with funds from the Gerald W. Chamberlin Foundation, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Endicott, Mrs. Howard J. Stoddard, Mr. Howard P. Stoddard, and Mr. and Mrs. Stanford C. Stoddard
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  79.28.1
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
