Letter-box and Toothpick Holders
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 9/16 x 7 3/8 in. (14.1 x 18.7 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
JP2327
Art Historical Context
In the delicate world of 19th-century Japanese wood prints, Totoya Hok captures the quiet elegance of everyday life with *Letter-box and Toothpick*. This intimate still life, part of a surimono album, showcasesquered containers rendered in vibrant inks and colors on paper. Hok, a skilled ukiyo-e artist pupil of the famed Katsushika Hai, excelled in these small-scale compositions, measuring just 5 9/16 x 7 3/8 inches, perfect for appreciation. Surimono, meaning "printed things," were luxurious, privately commissioned prints often produced for New Year's celebrations or poetry gatherings. Unlik...
About the Artist
Totoya Hokkei · 1780–1850
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓, 1780–1850), born Iwakubo Tatsuyuki in Edo (modern Tokyo), began his life as a humble fishmonger in the Yotsuya Samegahashi district, a trade reflected in his art name "Totoya," meaning fish shop. He transitioned to art through rigorous training, first studying under Kanō Yōsen'in Korenobu, head of the Kobikichō branch of the prestigious Kanō school, where he honed landscape p...