Large Lacquer Sake Cup Reading "Full House"
1794, year of the tiger
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 5 3/8 x 6 1/2 in. (13.7 x 16.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Marjorie H. Holden Gift, 2012
Accession Number
2012.248.4
Art Historical Context
Kubo Shunman's *Large Lacquer Sake Reading "Full House"*1794) is a delightful woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (16151868), a time when ukiyo-e artists captured the fleeting pleasures of urban life. Created as a *surimono*—a luxurious, privately commissioned print often made for New Year's greetings or celebrations—this intimate work measures just 5 3/8 x 6 1/2 inches, perfect for personal exchange among poetry-loving elites. Shunman, a versatile ukiyo-e master and poet, infused his designs with wit and elegance, blending fine lines with vibrant inks and colors on paper. The title playf...
About the Artist
Kubo Shunman · 1757–1820
Japanese, 1757–1820