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. 6, Lady Tang: Never Tired of Feeding Her Mother-in-law Milk, 1890 - Attractive design of a young mother offering her breast to her infant child, who crawls towards her eagerly with his hand outstretched. At left, two goldfish float in a glass container, the verandah overlooking stepping stones leading into the garden. The scene parallels the paragon above, where Lady Tang (Saishi in Japanese) suckles her father's great grandmother, who had no teeth and was unable to eat even soft food. In both images, a young girl watches the women's willingness to care and provide for their families, learning a valuable lesson.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Vertical wrinkle, slight soiling, a few small spots and creases, ink marks. Please see photos for details. Good overall.