Elegant Asian Calligraphy and Art

Traditional calligraphy and delicate paintings intertwine nature and poetic elements, reflecting the beauty and calm of East Asian artistry.

Scholar, Crane, and Banana Tree, 1630, Zhang Fengyi; Artist: Chen Jiayan; Artist: Yuan Shangtong; Artist: Wu Ling; Artist: Wen Congjian; Artist: Shao Mi, Chinese, 1594 - 1642, 26 1/2 x 12 7/8 in. (67.31 x 32.7 cm) (image), Ink and color on paper, China, 17th century, The importance of literati circles is emphasized in this collaborative 17th century painting. According to the inscriptions, the rendition of a scholar, crane, and banana tree was created as a gift for the scholar Xizhi by seven different literati artists. Five scholars have painted a separate element emblematic of literati values, signed their names and affixed their personal seals. The colophones were added by friends Wen Congjian and Shao Mi. The literaus is shown in typical Ming period scholars robe, enjoying nature in the presence of a crane, the Daoist symbol of longevity. Intellectual circles were very important to China's scholar class. Composed of highly educated government officials, teachers, writers, painters,

Calligraphy Hon'ami Koetsu (Japanese, 1558-1637). Calligraphy, 17th century. Hanging scroll, ink and gold on paper, 34 3/4 x 11 1/8 in. (88.3 x 28.3 cm). Koetsu, a calligrapher, and Sotatsu, a painter, often collaborated to produce works in which calligraphy and painting complemented each other. This piece contains a poem that reads:Tea helps dispel worries and cares,Leading us to easiness, free from the pursuit of worldly success,Tea, like a day lily, helps us forget,Leaving us totally relaxed.The free-flowing brushwork matches the loose spirit of them poem. In both style and subject matter, this calligraphy pays homage to "tea taste," an aesthetic in which natural, accidental beauty is careful studied, appreciated, and replicated. Asian Art 17th century

Pheasant and Grasses, late 1600s-early 1700s. Attributed to Ogata Kōrin (Japanese, 1658-1716). Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; overall: 134.6 x 43.5 cm (53 x 17 1/8 in.); painting only: 61.3 x 36.8 cm (24 1/8 x 14 1/2 in.). Korin was a founder of the Rimpa (decorative) school of painting and was a keen observer of nature. The pheasant is often associated with autumn.

Scholar, Crane, and Banana Tree, 1630, Zhang Fengyi; Artist: Chen Jiayan; Artist: Yuan Shangtong; Artist: Wu Ling; Artist: Wen Congjian; Artist: Shao Mi, Chinese, 1594 - 1642, 26 1/2 x 12 7/8 in. (67.31 x 32.7 cm) (image), Ink and color on paper, China, 17th century, The importance of literati circles is emphasized in this collaborative 17th century painting. According to the inscriptions, the rendition of a scholar, crane, and banana tree was created as a gift for the scholar Xizhi by seven different literati artists. Five scholars have painted a separate element emblematic of literati values, signed their names and affixed their personal seals. The colophones were added by friends Wen Congjian and Shao Mi. The literaus is shown in typical Ming period scholars robe, enjoying nature in the presence of a crane, the Daoist symbol of longevity. Intellectual circles were very important to China's scholar class. Composed of highly educated government officials, teachers, writers, painters,

Brushes and Paper Ornaments. Artist: Ryuryukyo Shinsai (Japanese, active ca. 1799-1823). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 8 1/4 x 7 3/8 in. (21 x 18.7 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Rock, Bamboo, and Orchids, late 1300s-early 1400s. Gyokuen Bonpō (Japanese, 1348-after 1420). Hanging scroll; ink on paper; painting: 79.2 x 32.7 cm (31 3/16 x 12 7/8 in.); mounted with knobs: 163.9 x 52 cm (64 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.).

New Sea of the Arts - 31, 1905 book Part 31 (of 35); Orange with white cover with blue floral pattern; In the middle of black, title; 11 sheets: 10 sheets with 20 pattern designs, of which a pattern of colored circles and windows against a blue -gray background on the first page; last sheet, advertisements; Inside cover; Colophon. paper. color woodcut

Wren and Chrysanthemums, mid 1830s. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797-1858). Color woodblock print; overall: 38.2 x 12.8 cm (15 1/16 x 5 1/16 in.).

Bringing a Lute to an Immortal's Pavilion. Origin: China. Date: 14th century. Ink on silk. Period: Yuan or early Ming dynasty. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi period (1662-1722). Prints

Sparrow on a hanging planter Japan. Color woodblock print; yotsugiriban . Utagawa Hiroshige

Halibuts and a Bow with Arrow Hanging on a Plum Tree 19th century Ryūryūkyo Shinsai Japanese. Halibuts and a Bow with Arrow Hanging on a Plum Tree 54972

Poem from the Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times (Kokin wakashū), early 1610s, Hon'ami Kōetsu; Artist: Underpainting by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, Japanese, 1558 - 1637, 7 3/16 × 6 3/8 in. (18.26 × 16.19 cm) (image), Ink and gold on gold-decorated paper, Japan, 17th century, These two poem cards were once part of a set of thirty-six such cards, which may have been pasted onto folding screens. The cards were a collaboration between the widely celebrated calligrapher Hōnami Kōetsu who brushed ancient Japanese poems on cards decorated by the painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu. Today, the thirteen extant cards are dispersed in collections worldwide.

Young Pine Trees on a Stand and a Ceremonial Crown with Long Hangings. Artist: Unidentified Artist. Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 7 7/8 x 7 3/16 in. (20 x 18.3 cm). Date: 18th-19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

A Poem from the Shin Kokinshu with Design of Shinobugusa Grasses. Hon'ami Koetsu; Japanese, 1558-1637. Date: 1605-1610. Dimensions: 33.6 × 44.5 cm (13 1/4 × 17 1/2 in.). Fragment of a handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; ink, gold, silver-colored pigment, and mica on paper. Origin: . Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Bush Warbler and Rose (Kocho, bara), from an untitled series of flowers and birds. Katsushika Hokusai ; Japanese, 1760-1849. Date: 1829-1839. Dimensions: 10 x 7 1/2 in. Color woodblock print; chuban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Bamboo, old tree, and rock dated 1338 Wu Zhen Chinese This painting shows Wu Zhen's creative adaptation of the "old tree, bamboo, and rock" genre first canonized by eleventh-century scholar-artists. The painting's large scale and use of overlapping forms and graded ink tones to create an illusion of recession, and of rich, wet ink to evoke the appearance of foliage after a drenching rain, recall the descriptive naturalism of Song-dynasty precedents. But Wu tempered this naturalistic approach with a new calligraphic assertiveness inspired by the work of Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322). Bamboo leaves have been reduced to a calligraphic formula of repeating, pattern-like clusters, and the texture strokes and foliage dots used to describe rock surfaces have become emphatic mannerisms derived from the tenth-century masters Dong Yuan and Juran.In his later years, Wu Zhen specialized in bamboo painting, but even here, in his earliest extant depiction of bamboo, the artist's admiration for this plant

Bird and chrysanthemums. Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1830-1839. Dimensions: 37.5 x 12.8 cm (5 x 14 6/8 in.). Color woodblock print; chutanzaku. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Illustration for lyrics du Fu; 1959-1962 (1959-00-00-1962-00-00);

Loquat and bird. Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1830-1833. Dimensions: 38.2 x 17.2 cm (15 x 6 3/4 in.). Color woodblock print; otanzaku. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Bullfinch on camellia branch. Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1830-1833. Dimensions: 38 x 17.3 cm (15 x 6 3/4 in.). Color woodblock print; otanzaku. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Young Nobleman Playing Koto (Harp). Artist: Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 7 15/16 x 7 3/16 in. (20.2 x 18.3 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Listening to the Bamboo, late 1400s-1500s. Imitator of Wen Zhengming (Chinese, 1470-1559). Hanging scroll, ink on sutra paper; painting: 94.5 x 30.5 cm (37 3/16 x 12 in.); overall with knobs: 202 x 55 cm (79 1/2 x 21 5/8 in.).

Camellia in Vase and Tea-utensil Box 1820-1830 Japan. Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono . Rintei

Where the Cormorants and Sea Gulls Gathered and Played, from the series TosaNikki. Artist: Kubo Shunman, Japanese, 1757-1820

The Poet Ono no Komachi, early to mid-1600s. Shokadō Shōjō (Japanese, 1584-1639). Album leaf; ink and color on paper; overall: 62 x 40.6 cm (24 7/16 x 16 in.).

Crabs and Chrysanthemums Gao Qipei (Chinese, 1672-1734). Crabs and Chrysanthemums, 18th century. Ink and light color on paper, 39 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (101 x 40 cm). Asian Art 18th century

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi period (1662-1722). Prints

Japan, Metsumi, Hamitei, Mitsumaru, Seigetsutei, Kitaru, Shômontei, Utayama, Ishikawa, Monkey reaches for the reflection of the moon, A monkey hangs with one arm from a branch of a pine tree and tries to grab the reflection of the moon. The image is depicted as if it were a standing room screen (tsuitate). Such a screen was usually placed directly behind the door of a house, to keep out evil spirits, because of the belief that they could only move in straight lines move. With three poems., print, prent, surimono, prints, Japan (collection), height 195 mm, width 175 mm, Japanese, print maker, printmaker, 1824 - 1824, first quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, colour woodblock, poet

Flowers and Garden Rock 14th century China This tapestry picture features a contrast between the boldly decorative garden rock, which was woven in gold with black outlines, and the more delicately realized hydrangea and other flowers, woven in various hues of silk that have faded with time. A close look reveals that the leaves are outlined in gold thread.. Flowers and Garden Rock 65644

. With two poems. The print is a B copy.

Listening to the songs of the insects. 1768. Suzuki, Harunobu, 1725-1770. Prints. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection

Pinging drawing with bamboo and Japanese characters ..

Set of Utensils for the Tea Ceremony 1810s Kubo Shunman 俊満 Japanese In this elegant still-life surimono by Shunman, accoutrements for a New Year’s tea ceremony are arrayed along with a branch of camellia, a flower that blooms at the end of winter and beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar. The poem reads:春の立けるひ茶の席上にて大ふくにたつる茶の湯の口きりやとしの手前に春は来にけり古今仲成　Haru no tachikeru hi cha no sekijō niteŌbuku ni tatsuru chanoyu no kuchikiri ya toshi no temae niharu wa ki ni keriAt a tea gathering on the day spring arrives:Sipping auspicious teamade with New Year’s water, the tea ceremony begins— as spring arrives before the official start of the year. —Kokin no Nakanari (trans. by John T. Carpenter)The kyōka puns on tea-related terms such as ōbuku (New Year’s tea), chanoyu (tea ceremony), temae (formal tea preparation). Temae also serves as a pivot word here, meaning also “before the start of the year,” which alludes to the opening lines of the first poem of the Collection of Poems Ancien

Kyosai`s Tekenplezier, Kawanabe Kyôsai, 1881 book Part two (of two); light brown cover with green imagination pattern; red title strip in the middle; eighteen magazines; one page text; seventeen images (each of two pages), of animals and landscapes; Last page, Colophon. Tokyo paper color woodcut

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 1 (leaf 6), mid- to late 1700s. Aoki Shukuya (Japanese, d. 1802). Pair of albums; ink, or ink and light color on paper; album, closed: 28.3 x 33 cm (11 1/8 x 13 in.). Traditionally, young painters in Japan began their studies with an established master-painter. The master's compositions invariably became models that the apprentice copied to learn various ink and brush techniques. Shukuya was a pupil of the famous Kyoto artist Ikeno Taiga, whose style is reflected in these sketches of rocks, trees, and mountains.

Paintings after Ancient Masters: Lotus and Rocks, 1598-1652. Chen Hongshou (Chinese, 1598/99-1652). Album leaf, ink and color on silk; overall: 30.2 x 26.7 cm (11 7/8 x 10 1/2 in.).

Sketch for a Painting of Mi Fu Inscribing a Poem on a Rock dated 1666 Kano artist After Kano Tan'yū Japanese In this large vertical composition, Tan'yū depicted the famous Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu (1051-1107) writing a poem on a rock surface at a celebrated literati party known as the Elegant Gathering at the Western Garden. This panel also bears Tan'yū's title, mention of his age (sixty-five), and a painted seal reading Seimei. Most of Tan'yū's shukuzu lack the fully realized signatures seen on this panel and its companion. These drawings may have been made not as shukuzu but rather as preliminary drawings for paintings.. Sketch for a Painting of Mi Fu Inscribing a Poem on a Rock 44297

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi period (1662-1722). Prints

Five cuttings. Sheet with five small prints against yellow background; branch with plum blossom; boats at full moon in Susaki; Courtisane, seen on the back; Sparrows at bamboo in the snow; Bed linen behind a room screen, with poem.

Nakayama Sugakudo and Tsutaya Kichizo, Suzume Keshi, sparrows and poppies, 1859, colour wood engraving, Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao, Spain, Europe

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 2 (leaf 28), mid- to late 1700s. Aoki Shukuya (Japanese, d. 1802). Pair of albums; ink, or ink and light color on paper; album, closed: 28.3 x 33 cm (11 1/8 x 13 in.). Traditionally, young painters in Japan began their studies with an established master-painter. The master's compositions invariably became models that the apprentice copied to learn various ink and brush techniques. Shukuya was a pupil of the famous Kyoto artist Ikeno Taiga, whose style is reflected in these sketches of rocks, trees, and mountains.

Oiran - high class courtesan (Ushiro muki oiran zu), Japanese Prints - Hiroshige

Wine-Set for the New Year Ceremony 19th century Kubo Shunman Japanese. Wine-Set for the New Year Ceremony. Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820) (). Japan. 19th century. Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

Three string foal Sangenkoma (title on object) A series with horses (series title) Umazukushi (series title on object), A disassembled shamisen (Japanese lute), against a pile, partly in cloth wrapped, song books. The parts of the instrument together with the books probably represent a horse, with the wooden bowl in the foreground representing the stirrup. With two poems, horse, Katsushika Hokusai (mentioned on object), Japan, 1822, paper, colour woodcut, h 206 mm × w 183 mm

Standing Prostitute, 18th century, Kitagawa Utamaro, Japanese, 1753 - 1806, 47 1/4 x 17 11/16 in. (120 x 45 cm) (image)81 7/8 x 19 11/16 in. (208 x 50 cm) (mount) 56 cm w w/rollers, Ink and color on paper, Japan, Nikuhitsu ukiyo-e

The Poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, by Katsushika Nakajima known as Hokusai, 19th Century, 1802, ink and colors on silk, cm 35 x 44

Kiku Jido (Chrysanthemum Boy). Artist: Tsukioka Sessai (Japanese, 1761-1839). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 32 × 12 in. (81.3 × 30.5 cm). Date: 18th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Landscape with Figures, 1644-1911. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Hanging scroll, ink and slight color on paper; overall: 152.4 x 73.3 cm (60 x 28 7/8 in.).

Silhouette Image of Kabuki Actor. Artist: Utagawa Yoshiiku (Japanese, 1833-1904). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Approx. 14 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (36.8 x 24.1 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Shazanrō (Bunchō) Picture Book 1817 Tani Bunchō Japanese. Shazanrō (Bunchō) Picture Book. Tani Bunchō (Japanese, 1763-1840). Japan. 1817. Woodblock-printed book; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Two Wood Flower Boxes , late 18th century. Color woodblock print on paper, 9 1/4 x 7 1/16 in. (23.5 x 18 cm). Asian Art late 18th century

Cockfight and camellias; A set of room screens. Two parts of a miniature room screen; Left Camelias, right cockfight with watching hovelings. With two poems.

Tokyo, Haruna Shigeharu, Shimamura Kinjiro, Kogei oyo zuan zasshi, Designs for Applied Arts - Part One, back cover - stamped, Part One; pink cover with various emblems and illustration of a vase with title; endpaper; 10 leaves: one sheet of text; twelve leaves, black and white designs; four pages, color illustrations of flowers and birds; last page, colophon., book, magazine, periodical, prints, pictures, Japan (collection), National School of Applied Arts, height 241 mm, width 166 mm, print maker, printmaker, 1890 - 1900, fourth quarter 19th century, paper, woodcut, colour woodcut, Japanese, printer, printer's, Publication (Event), Publication, publisher, editor

A Whetstone with a Razor, and an Envelope for a Present. Artist: Unidentified Artist. Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (14 x 19.1 cm). Date: 1811. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Artist: Ike no Taiga, Japanese, 1723-1776, Landscape in the manner of MiFu, ca.1760s, Hanging scroll: ink and light color on paper, without mounting: 46 1/8 × 14 15/16 in. (117.2 × 38 cm), Japan, Japanese, Edo period(1615-1868), Paintings

Tenjin on His Way to China, mid 18th century, Hakuin Ekaku, Japanese, 1685 - 1769, 12 x 68 in. (109.4 x 26.3 cm), Ink on paper, Japan, 18th century, Without a Chinese robe, / yet known as the god of Kitano, / because of a branch of plum tree / held in a sleeve. / Figure made of characters for Namu Tenman Daijizai Tenjin.

Yashima Gakutei was a Japanese artist and poet who was a pupil of both Totoya Hokkei and Hokusai. Gakutei is best known for his kyoka poetry and surimono woodblock works.

Scene from The Narrow Road to the Deep North ca. 1780 Yosa Buson. Scene from The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Yosa Buson (Japanese, 1716-1783). Japan. ca. 1780. Folding fan mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Paintings

The first left: Shôjô; Ichiban Hidari - Shôjô; A comparison of chickens; Niwatori Awase. Three wrapped rice wine (sake) barrels and a varnished dish with the image of a dragon on a brocade piece, in a lacquer box. On the upper vessel the sign: DAI (large), on the bottom right Ho (phoenix). The title of the print, Shôjô refers to mythical creatures living on the beach and spending their days with dancing and drinking sake. With two poems.

Swallows and Wisteria. Artist: Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820) (). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 8 x 7 1/4 in. (20.3 x 18.4 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Drawing, Sketch of Drapery for Seated Figure; Francis Augustus Lathrop (American, 1849 - 1909); USA; graphite on paper, with watercolor spots below; 21 × 14 cm (8 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.); 1914-38-196

Chrysanthemum and Peony, 1834, Urakami Shunkin, Japanese, 1779 - 1846, 9 15/16 × 13 in. (25.24 × 33.02 cm) (image)39 1/4 × 17 5/8 in. (99.7 × 44.77 cm), Ink and color on silk, Japan, 19th century

One hundred designs - part three; Zuan Hyakudai - San. Leporellolatbum; cover with image of three birds in bamboo branches; 27 sheets: first page, Introduction; 38 images of mainly flowers and plants; Last page, colophon.

Three Poems from the "Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern" (Kokin wakashu), known as the "Araki Fragment" (Araki-gire). Artist: Calligraphy traditionally attributed to Fujiwara no Yukinari (Kozei) (Japanese, 972-1027). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 8 in. × 5 3/8 in. (20.3 × 13.7 cm)Overall with mounting: 49 3/4 × 14 3/16 in. (126.3 × 36 cm)Overall with knobs: 49 3/4 × 15 7/8 in. (126.3 × 40.3 cm). Date: 2nd half of the 11th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Cat Playing with a Toy Butterfly, from the series "Thirty-six Pictures of Birds (Sanjuroku kinzoku)". Totoya Hokkei; Japanese, 1780-1850. Date: 1823-1833. Dimensions: 21.2 x 17.7 cm. Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA. Author: Totoya Hokkei.

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 1 (leaf 35), mid- to late 1700s. Aoki Shukuya (Japanese, d. 1802). Pair of albums; ink, or ink and light color on paper; album, closed: 28.3 x 33 cm (11 1/8 x 13 in.). Traditionally, young painters in Japan began their studies with an established master-painter. The master's compositions invariably became models that the apprentice copied to learn various ink and brush techniques. Shukuya was a pupil of the famous Kyoto artist Ikeno Taiga, whose style is reflected in these sketches of rocks, trees, and mountains.

Piece from a Kosode with Pine Boughs and Cherry Blossoms Japan. Piece from a Kosode with Pine Boughs and Cherry Blossoms. Japan. Resist-dyed and painted float-patterned plain-weave silk (saya). Edo period (1615-1868). Textiles-Dyed

Album Leaf, from 'Landscapes from Nature, Poetry, and Art', 1774, Wang Chen, 1720 - 1797, 16 7/16 x 13 3/16 in. (41.75 x 33.5 cm) (image)19 3/4 x 15 5/16 in. (50.17 x 38.89 cm) (leaf, overall)19 15/16 x 15 15/16 x 1 1/4 in. (50.6 x 40.5 x 3.2 cm) (entire album, overall, closed), Ink on paper, China, 18th century, Born in Kiangsu province, Wang Ch'en was a descendant of the great literatus Wang Shih-min and a great grandson of the artist Wang Yuan-ch'i. He served for a while in the Grand Secretariat and as a prefect in Hunan province. Wang's illustrious family heritage strengthened his reputation as an orthodox painter and he is one of the so-called Four Minor Wangs of the later Ch'ing.

Daikoku Seated on Two Rice Bales, 1840, Ikuta Hokumei, 39 3/16 × 11 1/16 in. (99.54 × 28.1 cm) (image)64 3/4 × 15 1/8 in. (164.47 × 38.42 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and light color on paper, Japan, 19th century

Early Spring Landscape, before 1533, Shūtoku; Author: Inscribed by Yōkoku Kentō; Author: Inscribed by Teihō Shōchū, active first half of 16th century, 28 1/8 × 16 in. (71.44 × 40.64 cm) (image)59 3/4 × 21 1/16 in. (151.77 × 53.5 cm) (mount, without roller), Hanging scroll; ink and light color on paper, Japan, 16th century, Below towering cliffs, a surging waterfall, and wizened pine trees sits a lonely riverside pavilion, its curtains drawn back. The occupant is nowhere to be found, but his boat is moored nearby. There is a bridge across the way, but the path it seems to connect to disappears in heavy mist.

Japan, Naritake, Harunoya, Tôshû, Uematsu, Seated poets in court dress, recto - stamped, Man and woman in court dress from the Heian period (794-1185) sitting at a table with poetry notes (tanzaku) on it. With one poem., print, prent, surimono, prints, prenten, Japan (collection), height 134 mm, width 200 mm, Japanese, print maker, printmaker, 1800 - 1810, first quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, blind printing, poet

Memorial Monument for Utagawa Hiroshige II. Utagawa Hiroshige III; Japanese, 1842-1894. Date: 1882. Dimensions: 38.1 x 25.9 cm (15 x 10 3/16 in.). Color woodblock print; oban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Gold-decorated Leather with Figure of a Chinese Boy” and Patterned Leather,” from the series Famous Leathers, Inrō, and Netsuke Meibutsu kawa, inrō, netsuke)From the Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 2 1810s Kubo Shunman Japanese Surimono are privately published woodblock prints, usually commissioned by individual poets or poetry groups as a form of New Year’s greeting card. The poems, most commonly kyōka (witty thirty-one-syllable verse), inscribed on the prints usually include felicitous imagery connected with spring, which in the lunar calendar begins on the first day of the first month. Themes of surimono are often erudite, frequently alluding to Japanese literary classics in both texts and images. This album forms part of a set of three containing more than four hundred surimono. The prints are arranged on facing leaves according to themes or in a way that creates an attractive arrangement of designs, complementary in both color and shape. The printing techniques, pigm

Sketch of two warriors, 19th century, Attributed to Kawanabe Kyōsai, Japanese, 1831 - 1889, 7 15/16 × 11 3/16 in. (20.16 × 28.42 cm) (sight)15 1/8 × 17 15/16 × 1 7/8 in. (38.42 × 45.56 × 4.76 cm) (outer frame), Ink on paper, Japan, 19th century

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece. Japan. 18th-19th century. Silk. Textiles-Woven

Carp and Waterweeds late 15th century Ygetsu Little is known about Ygetsu, who was active as a monk in the mountains northeast of the ancient capital of Nara. He is sometimes cited as a follower of the master painter Sessh Ty (1420-1506). Above Ygetsu’s auspicious image of a pair of fish swimming in a pond, Mokumoku Djin, about whom little is also known, has inscribed a poem that recalls the carp’s role as a vehicle of the Daoist immortal Qingao: Wind whips the grass alongthe riverbank, frigid at dusk.A single ray of brilliant redilluminates the white shoal.If Qingao were here,he would not be riding a crane—He’d have [his carp shaking their headsand snapping their tails,spinning waves into whirlpools.—Trans. Aaron Rio. Carp and Waterweeds. Ygetsu (Japanese, active late 15th century). Japan. late 15th century. Hanging scroll; ink on silk. Muromachi period (1392-1573). Paintings

The Paroquet. Artist: Ito Jakuchu (Japanese, 1716-1800). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 10 x 14 1/2 in. (25.4 x 36.8 cm). Date: ca. 1900. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Sleeve band Made 1801-1900 China. Couched and embroidered sleeve-bands from a robe, cut and framed as a three-panel folding desk screen. Two lower halves joined to form central frame, top halves form panels at either side. Figures and auspicious symbols in colors and gold on ivory silk grou nd. . Han-Chinese

The waterless shell Minasegai (title on object) A comparison of Genroku poems and shells (series title) Genroku kasen kaiawase (series title on object), Frogs sitting on stones in a cage. Behind it a folding screen with the image of a man on horseback accompanied by servants. The three books on the floor refer to a collection of poems from the 15th century. The image on the screen refers to General Minamoto no Yoshiie at the Ide river. The frogs that do not sit in the water, but on stones, refer to the title of the print. With two poems, tailless amphibians: frog, Katsushika Hokusai (mentioned on object), Japan, 1821, paper, colour woodcut, h 198 mm × w 178 mm

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi period (1662-1722). Prints

Landscape first half of the 18th century Watanabe Shikō 辺始興 A narrow body of water is surrounded by land on three sides, with the fourth opening to allow a slender sailboat to come into view. Contrasting ink tones, from coal black to pearl gray, are united by the watery gray wash.Around 1699 the painter of this small, lyrical landscape helped the legendary Rinpa masters Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716) and his younger brother Kenzan (1663-1743) in their venture into the commercial production of decorated ceramics. Watanabe Shikō, then still a teenager, decorated some of their wares with Kano-style painting. Shikō subsequently created a style of his own, in which he successfully synthesized the academic orthodoxy of the Kano school and the decorative style of Rinpa. Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #8821. Landscape, Part 1 Play or pause #8822. Landscape, Part 2 Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not ava

Pheasant with Chrysanthemums. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 14 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. (37.5 x 17.1 cm). Date: ca. 1835. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Bonsai Plum Tree on Bench and Box 1796 Kubo Shunman Japanese. Bonsai Plum Tree on Bench and Box. Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820). Japan. 1796. Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

The Book Cart, Kubota Shunman, c. 1805 - c. 1810 A gold lacquered book cart with sharing series of books. The two draw rings are on the floor. With one poem. Japan paper color woodcut book

Koto and New Years Offering, illustration for The Akoya Beach Shell (Akoyagai), from the series A Matching Game with Genroku-period Poem Shells (Genroku kasen kai awase) 1816-1833 Japan. Color woodblock print; nishikie with metallic pigments and blindprinting; surimono shikishiban . Katsushika Hokusai

Depicts a scholar seated beneath a pine tree on the banks of a river, fishing; to the left the river becomes a torrent, crashing down from a mountain. Origin: China. Date: 1368-1644. Period: Ming dynasty. Ink and color on silk. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Parrot and Fans 1810-1858 Japan. Tanaka Shutei, a painter and print designer, created a design of an exotic pet parrot on a metal stand for the haiku poet Kyuso, who seems to have been the leader of various poetry groups.In each of these three prints, Kyuso chose to repeat the same basic design, although he was celebrating poetry collections by different groups on different occasions. He appears as host in every print, but he supplied a separate poem for each, and the other members were also different. The repetition of design implies that poetry hosts were not merely passive customers; they were often actively engaged in the production of prints.. Color woodblock print; surimono . Tanaka Shutei

Rabbit and Roses Mori Ransai Japanese Calligrapher Jiun Sonja Japanese 18th century This depiction of a crouching rabbit and a leaning boulder from behind which two clusters of roses emerge, combines the effect of brilliant polychrome on the leaves and blossoms with lighter washes of ink and color on the rock and the fur of the rabbit. It bears the stylistic hallmarks of the Edo periods Nagasaki school of painting which was based stylistically on the work of Shen Nanpin (also known as Shen Quan, fl. 1725-80), a Chinese artist who lived in Japan, in the port city of Nagasaki, from 1731 to 1733, and other Chinese painters who visited Japan during the eighteenth century. The pictorial elements are carefully and meticulously detailed, and are concentrated within one side of the picture plane, a Chinese convention used in bird-and-flower and plant and animal paintings from the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) on. The artist Mori Ransai, who specialized in the bird-and-flower genre, was one

Bai tou weng 1789 Kuwagata Keisai Japanese. Bai tou weng. Kuwagata Keisai (Japanese, 1764-1824). Japan. 1789. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

Designs for applied art-part three, various manufacturers, 1890 book. magazine Part three; Pink cover with various emblems and image of a vase on which title; 11 magazines: three pages text; eight sheets, black and white designs; Last sheet, Colophon. Tokyo paper

The Actor Ichikawa Ebizo III as Akushichibyoe Kagekiyo Disguised as a Beggar in the Play Kamuri Kotoba Soga no Yukari, Performed at the Ichimura Theater in the First Month, 1776. Katsukawa Shunsho ; Japanese, 1726-1792. Date: 1771-1781. Dimensions: 29 x 13.4 cm (11 7/16 x 5 1/4 in.). Color woodblock print; hosoban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Kingfisher and Iris. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 15 x 5 1/8 in. (38.1 x 13 cm). Date: 1832-34.Amadare nisode mo ayame ninioi keriRain dripping from the eavesdrenches our kimono sleeveswith the fragrance of irises.--Trans. John T. Carpenter. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 1 (leaf 17), mid- to late 1700s. Aoki Shukuya (Japanese, d. 1802). Pair of albums; ink, or ink and light color on paper; album, closed: 28.3 x 33 cm (11 1/8 x 13 in.). Traditionally, young painters in Japan began their studies with an established master-painter. The master's compositions invariably became models that the apprentice copied to learn various ink and brush techniques. Shukuya was a pupil of the famous Kyoto artist Ikeno Taiga, whose style is reflected in these sketches of rocks, trees, and mountains.

Two Bamboo stans, Anonymous, 1800 - 1900 paper color woodcut

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 66366

Stone of Three Lights: Sun, Moon and Star 19th century Keisai Eisen Japanese. Stone of Three Lights: Sun, Moon and Star 54544

Minashi-gai, shio-gai, katatsu-gai, miso-gai, chijimi-gai, and chigusa-gai, from the illustrated book "Gifts from the Ebb Tide (Shiohi no tsuto)". Kitagawa Utamaro ; Japanese, 1753 ()-1806. Date: 1789. Dimensions: . Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from book. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Teugel Wijk, Katsushika Hokusai, 1822 A partially unrolled hand role with an image of two members of the Samurai class, in front of the entrance of the Yoshiwara, the pleasure district of Edo. Behind the hand role a guide for Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara Saiken). With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut

The City Flourishing, Tanabata Festival, No. 73 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando) (Japanese, 1797-1858). The City Flourishing, Tanabata Festival, No. 73 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 7th month of 1857. Woodblock print, Sheet: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm). The Tanabata Festival, celebrated annually on the seventh day of the Seventh Month, derived from an ancient Chinese legend about the Celestial Weaving Girl (the star Vega) who crosses the Milky Way once a year to meet her beloved Cowherd (Altair). By the late Edo period, the Festival had developed into a huge outdoor display of inscribed, multicolored sheets of paper and auspicious paper symbols attached to long green bamboo poles. Although this is the only print in the series that does not specify a place in the title, it represents the view from a very specific, very personal place: Hiroshige's own house. Asian Art 7th month of 1857

Landscape in the Manner of Ni Zan, 1717, Huang Ding, 1660-1730, 36-1/2 x 13-13/16 in. (92.7 x 35.1 cm), Ink on paper, China, 18th century, Huang Ding, also known as Kuang Ting and Du Wang Ke, was from Changzhou in Jiangsu Province. Like many Qing orthodox painters, he was influenced by the aesthetic theories of Dong Qichang (1555-1636) and he studied the landscape of Song and Yuan masters. Signed paintings by Huang cite the styles of Dong Yuan (c. 900-962), Ni Zan (1301-1374), and Dong Qichang as inspiring his own work.

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