Cabinet for the Toilet and Bedclothes
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
7 3/4 x 6 9/16 in. (19.7 x 16.7 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
JP2265
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Cabinet for the Toilet Bedclothes** by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai invites visitors into the refined world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868). This intimate woodblock print, part of a luxurious *surimono* album, captures a beautifully crafted cabinet designed to store toiletries and bed linens—everyday luxuries in a culture that prized elegance in domestic life. Shinsai, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition active in the early 19th century, specialized in these privately commissioned prints, which were often gifted among poetry lovers and elites during New Year's or other celebrations. Printed with vibrant...
About the Artist
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai · 1799–1823
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (柳々居辰斎), active from 1799 to 1823, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker based in Edo (modern Tokyo), renowned for his mastery of surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned woodblock prints produced for elite poetry circles and New Year's celebrations. He began his training under Tawaraya Sōri before becoming a student of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, from whom he recei...