Kingfishers and Pussy-willow
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
8 3/8 x 5 3/8 in. (21.3 x 13.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP2285
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the delicate world of 19th-century Japanese wood prints, Kubo Shun *Kingfishers and P-willow* shines as a gem from a surimono album. Created during Japan's late Edo period, surimono were luxurious, privately commissioned prints often exchanged among poetry circles or as New Year's greetings. This intimate work, measuring just 8 3/8 x 5 3/8 inches, exemplifies the format's elegance, with vibrant ink and color on paper capturing nature's fleeting beauty. Shunman, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, skillfully renders the iridescent plumage of kingfishers perched among the soft, budding branch...
About the Artist
Kubo Shunman · 1757–1820
Japanese, 1757–1820