Ike Bana (Flower Arrangement) in the Ike-no-bo Style
probably 1765
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm); W. 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP863
Tags
About this artwork
This polychrome woodblock print depicts a flower arrangement executed in the Ike-no-bo style, the oldest and most traditional school of Japanese flower arrangement (ikebana). Created probably in 1765, the work demonstrates Suzuki Harunobu's revolutionary achievement in producing full-color prints (nishiki-e), a technical innovation that rendered obsolete the former two- and three-color print methods that had dominated ukiyo-e production. The print employs multiple woodblocks, each carved for a s...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...