Wine Cups
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
8 3/8 x 7 5/16 in. (21.3 x 18.6 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
JP1919
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), *Wine Cups* is a woodblock print (surono) by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (1764–1831), a master poet and ukiyo-e renowned for his exquisite, small-scale commissions. Created with ink and color on paper this intimate 8 3/8 x 7 5/16 in. work captures a serene still life of elegantly arranged cups, evoking the refined pleasures of sake-sharing among literati circles. Surimono, meaning "printed things," were luxurious, privately produced prints often gifted for New Year's or poetry gatherings. Shinsai's piece exemplifies the technique's hallmarks...
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...