Lady's Work-Box and Bed Clothing
probably 1816
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
JP2135
Art Historical Context
**Lady's Work-Box and Bed Clothing** is a delicate woodblock print (surono) by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai, created around 1816 during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868). Measuring just 5⅝ × 7⅜ inches, this intimate artwork from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's. O. Havemeyer Collection captures everyday elegance in ink and color on paper. Shinsai, a master of ukiyo-e—the "floating world" style celebrating beauty and transience—specialized in surimono, privately commissioned prints often produced for New Year's greetings or poetry gatherings. The title evokes a serene still life of a lady's sewing box and f...
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...