chōkō-zu 蝶幸図

Keywords
Art History
Painting

Ch: diexingtu. Lit. Picture of the Butterfly of Happiness, or Picture of the Butterfly and the Emperor's Visit. A Chinese painting subject included among Pictures of Pleasures at Court *kyūraku-zu 宮楽図. According to Kano Ikkei's 狩野一渓 (1599-1662) *Kōsoshū 後素集, the famous Tang dynasty emperor Xuanzong (Jp: *Gensō 玄宗) let loose a butterfly and it led him into the palace where court ladies resided. The theme was painted both on fans and screens in the late 16th and early 17th century by *Kano-ha 狩野派 artists. The theme of the Butterfly of Happiness is usually represented by showing Xuanzong holding a butterfly and standing in a palatial garden surrounded by court ladies. Chōkō-zu were frequently paired with other kyūraku-zu such as Pictures of Elegant Battles *fūryūjin-zu 風流陣図 and illustrations of The Song of Everlasting Sorrow (Ch: Changhenge, Jp: Chōgonka 長恨歌).