省亭花鳥画譜|Picture Album of Birds and Flowers (Seitei Kachō gafu) 省亭花鳥画譜
Medium
Set of three woodblock printed books attached by thread binding; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
each: 9 3/4 × 6 11/16 in. (24.8 × 17 cm)
Classification
Illustrated Books
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Foundation Gift, 2013
Accession Number
2013.801a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
Watanabe Seitei’s *Picture Album of Birds and Flowers* (Seitei Kachō gafu), published in 1903, captures the refined elegance of Japanese bird-and-flower painting during the Meiji period. As Japan navigated rapid modernization and engagement with the West, Seitei blended traditional nihonga sensibilities with subtle Western influences, creating delicate compositions that celebrate nature’s quiet beauty. This set of three thread-bound woodblock-printed books exemplifies the enduring popularity of kachō-e themes, where birds perch among seasonal blossoms and foliage. Printed in ink and color on ...
About the Artist
Watanabe Seitei 渡辺省亭 (Japanese) · 1851 –1918
Japanese, 1851–1918