Creative Commons License
Nogaku zue
(Japan and Korea )
As Tobosaku dances in his voluminous court robes, the chorus in this play relates an ancient Chinese legend. When the Queen Mother of the West visited the court of Emperor Wu Ti, she brought ten peaches, each of which would bring three thousand years of life to the eater. Tobosaku (Tung Fang-so in Chinese) stole three peaches and ate them, thus attaining virtual immortality.
The actor playing Tobosaku wears the mask of a happy old man. At left is a hanging scroll depicting a descending phoenix-an emblem of imperial authority as well as a vehicle for immortals.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Snell, Jr. [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1989, by gift.
Geographies
Japan, Tokyo (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 9 13/16 x W: 14 5/8 in. (25 x 37.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Snell, Jr., 1989
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
95.255