House with Woman and Baby
late 19th century
Medium
Fan painting mounted as album leaf; tempera on paper
Dimensions
Overall: 13 x 23 5/8 in. (33 x 60 cm) Image: 7 1/2 x 20 1/2 in. (19.1 x 52.1 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Gifts, Bequests, and Funds from various donors, by exchange, 1952
Accession Number
52.160.6k
Tags
Art Historical Context
Shibata Zeshin's *House with Woman and Baby created in the late 19 century during Japan's Meiji period (186–1912), captures a serene domestic moment amid a time of profound transformation. As the nation modernized and opened to Western influences, artists like Zeshin—owned for his mastery of lacquer and painting—bridged traditional Japanese aesthetics with innovative techniques. This intimate scene of a woman and baby within a house reflects everyday life, evoking the quiet beauty of family and home in a rapidly changing society. Painted in tempera on paper, the work originated as a fan paint...
About the Artist
Shibata Zeshin · 1807–1891
Japanese, 1807–1891