No. 2, Zeng Shen: His Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger, 1890

by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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No. 2, Zeng Shen: His Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger, 1890 by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Original Chikanobu (1838 - 1912) Japanese Woodblock Print
No. 2, Zeng Shen: His Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger, 1890

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. 2, Zeng Shen: His Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger, 1890 - Handsome image of two women collecting firewood. One beauty sits down on her large bundle of brush, bending forward to tie her sandal. Her companion waits patiently for her with two bundles balanced atop her head, steadied by a rope wrapped around them. The inset above shows Zeng Shen (Sosan in Japanese), who was out gathering firewood in the mountains one day. An unexpected guest arrived at his home, causing his mother to worry about the boy returning home to help with the visitor. She anxiously bit her finger, causing it to bleed. Far away, Zeng Shen felt a pain in his heart and knew that something must be wrong with his mother. He hurried home and his mother explained what had happened, relieved and happy that her son was so respectful that he could know her thoughts from a distance. An attractive design with fine detail.

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. Loss at corner, a few small holes, repaired. Slight toning at edges, a few spots, slight soiling, a few creases. Please see photos for details. Good overall.

No. 2, Zeng Shen: His Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger, 1890 by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)
No. 2, Zeng Shen: His Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger, 1890 by Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

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