Rolls of Cloth, Cotton and Yarn
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 5/16 x 7 3/8 in. (13.5 x 18.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
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
JP2173
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Ryūryūkyo Shinsai craftedRolls of Cloth, and Yarn*, a delicate 19th-century woodblock print known as a *surimono*. Measuring just 5 5/16 x 7 3/8 inches, this intimate work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's H. O. Havemeyer Collection showcases Shinsai's mastery as a ukiyo-e artist and pupil of the famed Kitagawa Utamaro. *Surimono* were, privately commissioned prints, often produced for New Year's greetings or poetry gatherings, featuring superior inks, subtle colors, and sometimes embossing for tactile richness. The composition capture...
About the Artist
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai · 1799–1823
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (柳々居辰斎), active from 1799 to 1823, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker based in Edo (modern Tokyo), renowned for his mastery of surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned woodblock prints produced for elite poetry circles and New Year's celebrations. He began his training under Tawaraya Sōri before becoming a student of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, from whom he recei...