By Nakabayashi Chikukei
Late Edo period (19th century)
Homma Museum of Art Collection
Designated Cultural Property of Sakata City
Nakabayashi Chikukei (1816–1867) was the eldest son of the literati painter Nakabayashi Chikudō. He possessed a natural talent for painting, and was active primarily in Kyoto under the guidance of figures such as his father and the painter Yamamoto Baiitsu; the latter is best known for his elegant bird-and-flower polychrome paintings.
This painting depicts a man of letters admiring a lotus flower under a willow tree. The lotus is a symbol of purity, innocence and fertility.