Lacquer Bowl for New Year Food
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 5/8 x 7 7/16 in. (14.3 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
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
JP1998
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Asian Art, where we encounter the exquisite "Lacquer Bowl for Year Food," a 19th-century wood print (surimono) by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai. Created during Japan's Edo period (16151868), this intimate work measures just 5⅝ × 7⅜ inches, showcasing Shinsai's mastery in the ukiyo-e tradition. Surim were privately commissioned prints, often produced for New Year's greetings or celebrations, blending artistry with poetry and lavish printing techniques like subtle embossing, mica dusting, and vibrant inks on paper. The print depicts a lacquer bowl brimming with festive New Year foods, evokin...
About the Artist
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai · 1799–1823
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (柳々居辰斎), active from 1799 to 1823, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker based in Edo (modern Tokyo), renowned for his mastery of surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned woodblock prints produced for elite poetry circles and New Year's celebrations. He began his training under Tawaraya Sōri before becoming a student of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, from whom he recei...