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. 19, Lu Ji: Stealing Oranges to Take Home for His Mother - Attractive scene of a mother patting her daughter fondly on the head as a few oranges fall from the child's long kimono sleeve. The beauty smiles indulgently as the fruit spills onto the floor. Behind them, a niche holds a hanging scroll with a lovely floral arrangement in a blue vase with a dragon on it. The scene above shows the young Lu Ji (Rikuseiki in Japanese) who was visiting a rich neighbor one day. The neighbor offered him a snack of oranges, an expensive treat, and after eating two, when no one was looking, he stole three more and hid them in his sleeve. When he got up to leave, the oranges fell to the floor, and the neighbor questioned him. He explained that oranges were his mother's favorite, and as their family could not afford them, he wanted to give her some to enjoy. The neighbor was so impressed with his concern for his mother, he gave him the entire bowl to take home. A handsome design with lovely detail in the clothing and household setting.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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

Condition - With excellent color and detail as shown. Very slight soiling and rubbing. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.