Heian Period Courtier on a Moonlit Beach
19th century
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 x 9 1/2 in. (35.6 x 24.1 cm) Image (b): 9 3/8 x 14 in. (23.8 x 35.6 cm) Image (c): 14 x 9 1/2 in. (35.6 x 24.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.321a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the serene glow of a full moon, Kobayashi Kiyochika's *Heian Period Courtier a Moonlit Beach* (19th century) captures a lone nobleman from Japan's classical Heian era (794–1185) strolling along a misty shore. This tript of woodblock prints—composed of three panels in ink and color on paperunfurls a panoramic nocturne, with dimensions allowing for an immersive vertical and horizontal expanse (each panel roughly 14 x 9½ inches). Kiyochika, a pivotal Meiji-period (1868–1912) artist, masterfully renders the scene's ethereal light, where moonlight dances on waves and silhouettes the courtier's f...
About the Artist
Kobayashi Kiyochika · 1847–1915
Japanese, 1847–1915