Benevolence, from The Five Virtues
Medium
color woodblock print
Dimensions
27.6 × 20.4 cm
Classification
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Mrs. Madeleine Hamill in memory of Lawrence Hamill
Accession Number
1949.124
Tags
male
About this artwork
This print belongs to a series of five depicting the cardinal virtues of Confucianism. In this image, a courtesan demonstrates benevolence by shaving her attendant’s neck. The other virtues are righteousness, decorum, knowledge, and fidelity. A poem at the top reads as follows: "If you would dwell on the path of the heart, / that is kind to others, / then must you not also be someone, / who suppresses even her own name?"