馬図（雪村周継筆）

　雪村周継は室町時代末期の画僧。常陸国太田（福島県）に生まれる。生没年は不明。雪舟に私淑し、中国画のうち、特に玉澗様式を学んだ。山水・花鳥・神仙を画題にした優れた作が多く、対象を独特な生動感のあるフォルムで表現する。この図は、正面立ちで四肢をぐっと踏ん張る馬をその胸の筋肉とともに最小限の筆で描いている。馬は真剣でいて、どこか愛らしさがある。背景に略筆で崖が描かれるが、白紙の部分自体で滝を表現しているのかも知れない。一体を真っ正面から捉えた構図と併せて、神馬的な要素をも感じさせる凛々しい姿である。

Sesson Shukei was a painter monk of the late Muromachi period. He was born in Ota, Hitachi province, in present‐day Fukushima prefecture. His birth and death dates are unknown. Sesson took Sesshu as his own personal painting model, and he also studied Chinese paintings, Sesson left many superb works of landscapes, birds and flower themes and images of gods and immortals, and he created each of his chosen subjects in a distinctive, vivid form. This painting shows a horse from the front, standing with legs spread and the expanse of his chest depicted in the most abbreviated brushstrokes. The horse is intent, serious, and yet somehow appealingly approachable. A cliff is shown in minimal brushwork in the background, and it is possible that the expanse of white paper may represent a waterfall. This composition of one horse facing squarely forward is impressively imposing, redolent of the spirit of sacred horses.