Who painted Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals?

Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals was painted by Tatebayashi Kagei in 1742.

Where can I see Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals?

Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals?

Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals is associated with Rococo painting.

Artwork

Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals

Tatebayashi Kagei , 1742

Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Tatebayashi Kagei. It dates from 1742 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1742 by the Japanese painter Tatebayashi Kagei, *Thirty‑Six Poetic Immortals* is a hanging scroll that depicts a group of celebrated literary figures from Chinese tradition. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed as an example of mid‑eighteenth‑century East Asian painting.

Subject & Meaning

The composition gathers thirty‑six renowned poets, each identified by a stylized seal or inscription, symbolizing the enduring influence of classical verse. By assembling these cultural icons, the painting reflects a reverence for literary heritage and the ideal of scholarly immortality that was prized among educated elites of the period.

Technique & Style

Executed with ink and subtle color washes on silk, the scroll employs delicate brushwork characteristic of the Edo‑period school to which Kagei belonged. Figures are rendered in a restrained, almost calligraphic manner, allowing the emphasis to fall on the textual elements and the serene spatial arrangement rather than on vivid realism.

History & Provenance

After remaining in private Japanese collections for more than a century, the painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art in the late twentieth century through a donation from a private benefactor. Its accession has provided scholars with a rare example of Kagei’s oeuvre outside of Japan.