Scholar Viewing a Painting center of a triptych of Scholar with Heron and Myna, mid 17th century, Kusumi Morikage, Japanese, c. 1620 - 1690, 66 x 11 1/2 in. (167.64 x 29.21 cm) (mounting)36 x 11 1/2 in. (91.44 x 29.21 cm) (image), Ink and color on paper, Japan, 17th century, Japanese hanging scrolls often come in groups of three: a central figure painting flanked by birds, landscapes, or complementary figures. Kusumi Morikage made this triptychs central figure a Chinese scholar whose servant boy holds a pole to display a hanging scroll painting of bamboo. Though unidentified, the scholar is likely Su Dongpo (1037-1101), a famous Chinese statesman, poet, and painter. Bird-and-flower paintings in an abbreviated, quasi-Chinese style complement this portrait of an ancient Chinese literary hero.