No. 20, Jiang Ge: He Labored to Support His Mother

by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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No. 20, Jiang Ge: He Labored to Support His Mother by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Original Chikanobu (1838 - 1912) Japanese Woodblock Print
No. 20, Jiang Ge: He Labored to Support His Mother

Series; Juxtaposed Pictures of Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety

Chikanobu's Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety - The Chinese scholar Guo Jujing wrote the book "The Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Devotion" during the Yuan Dynasty. Inspired by the loss of his own parents, he scoured history for examples of the most respectful and devoted children. Alluding to the famous stories of the twenty-four children and their extraordinary devotion to their parents and relatives, Chikanobu's series juxtaposes the paragon in the upper panel with a more modern equivalent below. The artist plays off the old stories, offering serious parallels as well as lighthearted and humorous contrasts in the modern versions.

No. 20, Jiang Ge: He Labored to Support His Mother - Charming image of a mother and her daughter enjoying a walk under a glowing full moon, as delicate pink cherry blossoms petals flutter down around them the mother wears a purple kimono patterned with stylized birds and modern black leather boots. She holds her child's hand, the girl smiling as she looks up. The inset about shows Jiang Ge, who often encountered bandits roaming the countryside. When the robbers demanded he join their gang, he pleaded for mercy, explaining that without him, his widowed mother would die, and they always let him go. Here, he kneels before a brigand, telling his story as the man bends forward, listening carefully with his sword in hand. The rest of his life, he labored hard to support his mother, a model of a filial son. An attractive design, nicely colored with soft shading in the background.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Image Size - 13 1/4" x 8 3/4" + margins as shown

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Faint toning, slight soiling. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.

No. 20, Jiang Ge: He Labored to Support His Mother by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)
No. 20, Jiang Ge: He Labored to Support His Mother by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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