Fan Peddler
18th–19th century
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
12 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (32.7 x 25.1 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Annette Young, in memory of her brother, Innis Young, 1956
Accession Number
56.121.35
Tags
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokusai's *Fan Peddler*, created during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), captures the vibrant street life of 18th- to 19th-century urban Japan. Hokusai, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—often depicted everyday scenes with a keen eye for human activity and transient beauty. This intimate painting, measuring just 12⅞ × 9⅞ inches, showcases a humble vendor hawking fans, essential accessories for cooling in Japan's humid summers and symbols of refined taste among townsfolk. Rendered in ink on paper, the work highlights Hokusai's virtuoso brushwork: flui...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...