Winter Cherries
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
8 1/4 x 3 5/8 in. (21 x 9.2 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
JP1923
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Winter Cherries** by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai is a delicate woodblock print (surono) from Japan's Edo period (16151868), capturing the vibrant red berries and green leaves of winter cherries—likely nandina domestica—in a compact 8¼ x 3⅝-inch format. Shinsai (1767–1849), a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, specialized in these luxurious, privately commissioned prints, often created for poetry circles or New Year's greetings. Produced with ink and color on paper, intimate work exemplifies the era's pinnacle of printmaking artistry. Surimono like this one stand out for their refined techniques: subtle...
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...