Kettle and Sash

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, *Kettle and Sash* is a delicate woodblock print (surono) by the Japanese artist Sunayama Gosei. Created in an unknown date during Japan's Edo period or later, this intimate work measures just 8 1/8 x 7 1/4 inches, everyday objects—a humble kettle and flowing sash—rendered in vibrant ink and color on paper Part of the prestigious H. O. Havemeyer Collection, bequeathed 1929, it the discerning taste of early 20th-century American collectors for Japanese artistry. Surimono, meaning "printed things," were privately commissioned prin...