Potted adonis with writing implements

Art Historical Context

Created around 1800 by the Japanese artist Hishikawa Sori III, *Potted Adonis with Writing Implements* is a refined example of a surimono—a privately commissioned color woodblock print. Measuring just over eight by ten inches, this intimate work was designed not for mass sale but for personal distribution, often accompanying New Year greetings or poetry gatherings. Surimono allowed artists to employ luxurious techniques such as metallic pigments, embossing, and delicate color gradations that commercial prints rarely featured. The subject—a potted adonis plant, a harbinger of spring, paired with brushes, inkstone, and paper—evokes themes of renewal, scholarship, and poetic inspiration common in early nineteenth-century Japan. Hishikawa Sori III’s careful arrangement invites viewers to appreciate both the quiet beauty of the still-life elements and the tactile qualities of the printed surface. Today, this print in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection offers a charming window into Edo-period artistic patronage and the refined visual language of surimono.

About the Artist

Hishikawa Sori III

**Hishikawa Sori III** (also known as Tawaraya Sori or Rinsai Soji) was a Japanese ukiyo-e painter and print artist active primarily from the late 1790s to around 1813. He is best remembered as an early and successful pupil of the master Katsushika Hokusai, who bestowed upon him the artist name Hishikawa Sori in 1798 (the artist had previously worked under the name Tawaraya Soji). Sori III worked...