Two Girls Under Plum Tree

Art Historical Context

This monochrome woodblock print by Nishikawa Sukenobu captures a quiet moment of two young girls beneath a plum tree, rendered in delicate ink lines on paper. Created during Japan’s Edo period (1615–1868), the work exemplifies the era’s growing in scenes from everyday life particularly the world of and children. Suken, active in Kyoto was renowned for his sensitiveals of female figures, often drawing from literature and daily customs rather than the more theatrical subjects favored by some contemporaries. Measuring just 9½ by 12¾ inches, the intimate scale suits the print’s gentle subject. As a monochrome woodblock print—an early form of ukiyo-e—the image relies on subtle gradations of ink and precise carving to convey texture in the girls’ robes and the tree’s branches. Such prints were affordable and widely circulated, allowing a broader audience to enjoy refined imagery that had once been limited to paintings for the elite. The plum tree, a beloved symbol of renewal in Japanese culture, adds a seasonal and poetic resonance to the scene. Gifted to the Metropolitan Museum in 1947, the work offers today’s visitors a glimpse into the refined yet accessible visual world of Edo-period Japan.

About the Artist

Nishikawa Sukenobu · 1671–1751

Japanese, 1671–1750