No. 3, Liu Heng: He Personally Tasted His Mother's Medicine

by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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No. 3, Liu Heng: He Personally Tasted His Mother's Medicine by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Original Chikanobu (1838 - 1912) Japanese Woodblock Print
No. 3, Liu Heng: He Personally Tasted His Mother's Medicine

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. 3, Liu Heng: He Personally Tasted His Mother's Medicine - Attractive image of a beauty spooning rice from a large container into a smaller lacquer bowl in preparation for a meal. She looks up over her shoulder with a smile, her intricately patterned purple kimono trailing onto the floor around her. Another woman kneels behind her, and a low table holds a platter of fish, with a bowl of food on a tray nearby. The scene above depicts Liu Heng, the Emperor Wen of Han (Kan Butei in Japanese), who was devoted to his mother during her lengthy illness. For three years, he nursed her faithfully, even tasting her medicine to ensure that it was prepared correctly. The elderly woman is shown seated beside a window at left, as the emperor and a servant arrive with her medicine and food. A nicely detailed design.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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

Condition - With excellent color and detail. Lightly toned along top edge with minor rubbing in margins. Faint spotting throughout with a couple small stains along bottom edge. Please see photos for details. Good overall.

No. 3, Liu Heng: He Personally Tasted His Mother's Medicine by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)
No. 3, Liu Heng: He Personally Tasted His Mother's Medicine by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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