Scenes from the Tale of Genji
Unknown Artist
1700s
Medium
Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, gold and gilding on paper
Dimensions
118.6 × 278.4 cm · painting only: 108.1 × 267.9 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Ross W. Comer
Accession Number
2024.160
About this artwork
Folding screens served as temporary dividers in traditional Japanese open-plan architectural spaces. This screen was inspired by Japan’s most celebrated work of literature, the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu, an attendant to the empress in the early 11th-century imperial court. The novel follows the love life of the “Shining Prince” Genji and delves into the psychological states of his many companions.