Tea Things
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
7 3/4 x 6 9/16 in. (19.7 x 16.7 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
JP2112
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Tea Things** by Totoya Hokkei, delicate 19th-century woodblock from Japan's Edo period (16151868), captures the elegance of everyday tea utensils—saucers and trays arranged in intimate still life. Hokkei, a skilled ukiyo-e artist pupil of the famed Katsushika Hokusai, specialized in *surimono*, privately commissioned prints often created for special occasions like New Year's greetings or poetry gatherings. Measuring just 7 3/4 x 6 9/16 inches, this intimate format was typical of *surimono*, which were luxurious, limited-edition works shared among elite circles rather than mass-produced for t...
About the Artist
Totoya Hokkei · 1780–1850
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓, 1780–1850), born Iwakubo Tatsuyuki in Edo (modern Tokyo), began his life as a humble fishmonger in the Yotsuya Samegahashi district, a trade reflected in his art name "Totoya," meaning fish shop. He transitioned to art through rigorous training, first studying under Kanō Yōsen'in Korenobu, head of the Kobikichō branch of the prestigious Kanō school, where he honed landscape p...