Books and Brush-Stand
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
8 5/16 x 7 1/4 in. (21.1 x 18.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP1996
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Kubo Shunman's *Books and Brush-Stand is a delicate 19th-century woodblock print Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), exemplifying the intimate art of *surimono*. These small, privately commissioned prints, measuring just 8 5/16 x 7 1/4 inches, were often created for poetry gatherings or New Year's celebrations among literati. Rendered in vibrant ink and color on paper, the work captures a scholar's desk essentials—stacked books and an elegant brush-stand—evoking the refined world of intellectual pursuit. Shunman, a versatile ukiyo-e master known for his poetry and painting, elevated *surimono* with meticulous techniques like subtle embossing, mica dusting, and precise color registration, lending a luxurious tactility. This piece reflects Edo Japan's cultural reverence for bunjin (literati) ideals, where brushes and books symbolized enlightenment and creativity amid urban prosperity. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection (H. O. Havemeyer Collection, 1929), it invites visitors to ponder the quiet elegance of everyday scholarly tools, bridging art and daily ritual in a fading feudal era.
About the Artist
Kubo Shunman · 1757–1820
Japanese, 1757–1820