Young Purple
probably 1770
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Hashire: 27 1/2 x 5 in. (69.9 x 12.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2454
Tags
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Young Purple*, created around 1770, is a woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (16151868). This *hashira-e*—a tall, narrow pillar print measuring 27½ x 5 inches— designed to adorn architectural pillars in homes, showcasing Harunobu's mastery of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"). Rendered in vibrant ink and color on paper it exemplifies the artist's pioneering use of full-color *nishiki-e* (brocade prints), where multiple woodblocks layered delicate hues for lifelike depth and texture. Harunobu, active in Edo ( Tokyo), revolutionized printmaking in the 1760s b...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...