Two Cranes
19th century
Medium
Unmounted painting; ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions
15 3/8 x 10 7/8 in. (39.1 x 27.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1938
Accession Number
38.106.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Two Cranes**, created by an artist from the Hokusai School in 19th-century Japan during the Edo period (5–1868), the refined artistry of this influential workshop. Founded by the legendary Katsushika Hokusaifamous for woodblock prints like *The Great Wave*—the school extended his dynamic style into paintings. This unmounted work on paper, measuring 15⅜ × 10⅞ inches, uses delicate ink and watercolor to capture two elegant cranes, rendered with fluid brushstrokes that evoke Hokusai's mastery of form and movement. In Japanese culture, cranes symbolize longevity, fidelity, and good fortune, oft...