Thirty-Six Immortal Poets, mid 19th century, Ikeda Koson, Japanese, 1802 - 1867, 68 1/16 ¡Ñ 68 3/8 in. (172.88 ¡Ñ 173.67 cm) (image)69 1/2 ¡Ñ 69 7/8 ¡Ñ 3/4 in. (176.53 ¡Ñ 177.48 ¡Ñ 1.91 cm), Ink and color on silk, Japan, 19th century, The throng of figures on this two-panel screen is identifiable as the so-called 'Thirty-Six Immortal Poets,' recognized as paragons of classical Japanese poetry already in the tenth century. The left panel features eighteen poets, while the right features only seventeen. A thirty-sixth figure, Saig? no Ny?go¡Xone of five female poets in the group¡Xis hidden behind a curtain at upper right. Ikeda Koson¡¦s composition is based on a seventeenth century original by ?gata K?rin, a prominent artist of the Rinpa school of Japanese painting.