雪兎図|Painting the Eyes on a Snow Rabbit
ca. 1780
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Image: 23 3/4 in. × 16 in. (60.3 × 40.6 cm) Overall with mounting: 62 1/4 in. × 23 in. (158.1 × 58.4 cm) Overall with knobs: 62 1/4 × 24 3/4 in. (158.1 × 62.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914
Accession Number
14.76.32
Tags
Art Historical Context
Isoda Koryūsai's *Painting the Eyes on a Snow* (雪兎図), created around 1780 during Japan's vibrant Edo period (1615–1868), captures whimsical winter moment in delicate ink and color on silk a hanging scroll. This format, designed to be unrolled vertically for intimate viewing in homes or temples, highlights the medium's elegance—silk's smooth surface allowing vibrant pigments to glow softly, evoking the transient beauty of snow. The scene likely depicts boys and women playfully completing a snow rabbit sculpture by painting its eyes, surrounded by flurries and perhaps musical instruments like t...
About the Artist
Isoda Koryūsai · 1735–1790
Japanese, 1735–ca. 1790