Wine-pot and Cup for the New Year Ceremony
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 7/8 x 7 1/2 in. (14.9 x 19.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture
Japan
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
JP2391
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Asian Art galleries, where we encounter the delicate artistry of Ryūryūkyo Shinsai's *Wine-pot and Cup for New Year Ceremony* (th century). This intimate woodblock print, part of a luxurious surimono album, measures just 5 7/8 x 7 1/2 inches and captures the festive spirit of Japanese New Year. Shinsai, a master of the uki-e school, specialized in these privately commissioned prints, often featuring elegant still lifes of ceremonial objects like sake vessels, evoking joy and renewal. Surimono, meaning "printed things," were high-end woodblock prints produced in limited editions...
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...