Two Young Ladies Having Tea Attended by Elderly Servant
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 7/16 x 7 3/8 in. (13.8 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
JP1815
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the serene world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Ryūryūkyo Shinsai's *Two Young Ladies Having Tea Attended by Elderly Servant captures a moment of refined domesticity. This intimate woodblock print, or *surimono*, depicts two elegant young women enjoying tea, gracefully attended by an elderly servant, with delicate teapots at the center. Created in an unknown date but typical of Shinsai's around the early 19th century, the small format (5 7/16 x 7 3/8 in.) reflects *surimono*'s luxury—privately commissioned prints for elite patrons, often featuring poetry or New Year's greetings, distingui...
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...