Japanese Woodblock Prints

Features traditional Japanese prints depicting nature, poetry, and seasonal themes, showcasing elegant lines and harmonious colors.

A car screen with a kimono on a rack, anonymous, c. 1822 - c. 1828 A car screen with a rack in which a kimono with the image of a falcon and aubergines. The Valk and Aubergines are elements from the first fortunate dream (Hatsuyume) of the new year. The third element, the Mount Fuji, is formed by the smoke from a pipe that smokes someone behind the folding screen. To ensure that they got such a dream of happiness, an image of the treasure ship was laid under the pillow in the old year. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut / polishing screen, folding screen

A Poetry-slip on a Ceremonial Stand, 1807 print There is a brokat curtain and a ritual hammer on a black stick. This kind of hammers were hung at the court on the first day of the new year of the rabbit to defuse evil. On a table a narrow strip of paper to write down poems; A Tanzaku. With five poems. paper color woodcut curtains. tools, aids, implements ~ crafts and industries: hammer. furniture to put things on

Weeping Cherry Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese. Weeping Cherry 56705

The Poet Sugawara no Michizane Riding an Ox. Torii Kiyomitsu I; Japanese, 1735-1785. Date: 1759-1769. Dimensions: 12 1/4 x 5 5/8 in. Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 2 (leaf 31), 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.

Autumn Ivy after 1732 Ogata Kenzan Japanese Born into Kyotos cultured merchant class, Kenzan was best known for his ceramic wares but was also a highly regarded calligrapher. Kenzans individualistic, expressive inscription of a poem referring to future winds scattering crimson leaves of ivy, recalls a famous scene from the tenth-century Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari), in which a courtier, exiled from the capital, encounters an itinerant monk on an ivy- strewn path on Mount Utsu. Kakaru shimo waga aki naranu matsukaze y chiru o urami no tsuta no momijiba Though not yetwinds through the pinesblow all aroundand I dread theyll scatterthe crimson leaves of ivy.-Trans. John T. Carpenter. Autumn Ivy 45076

A car screen with a kimono on a rack, anonymous, c. 1822 - c. 1828 A car screen with a rack in which a kimono with the image of a falcon and aubergines. The Valk and Aubergines are elements from the first fortunate dream (Hatsuyume) of the new year. The third element, the Mount Fuji, is formed by the smoke from a pipe that smokes someone behind the folding screen. To ensure that they got such a dream of happiness, an image of the treasure ship was laid under the pillow in the old year. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut / polishing screen, folding screen

A room screen with a kimono on a rack. A room screen with a rack on which a kimono with the image of a falcon and aubergines. The falcon and aubergines are elements from the first fortunate dream (hatsuyume) of the new year. The third element, the Fuji mountain, is formed by the smoke from a pipe that smokes someone behind the room screen. To ensure that one got such a lucky dream, an image of the treasure vessel was placed under the kisses on the old year. With two poems.

Surimono ca. 1860 Shibata Zeshin Japanese. Surimono 73598

Rabbit. Artist: Unidentified Artist; After Wang Yuan (Chinese, ca. 1280-after 1349). Culture: China. Dimensions: 19 3/4 x 12 3/8 in. (50.2 x 31.4 cm). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Man and a boy on the seashore Kitao, Shigemasa (1738 1820)

Odawara, section of sheet no 3 from the series Cutout Pictures of the Tokaido (Tokaido harimaze zue) 1842-1857 Japan. Color woodblock print; section of harimaze sheet (uncut sheet 1939.1291) . Utagawa Hiroshige

Biwa with Brocade Cover, from the series Musical Instruments probably 1808 Ryūryūkyo Shinsai Japanese. Biwa with Brocade Cover, from the series Musical Instruments 54452

Porcelain and plumblossom. Artist: Ry?ry?kyo Shinsai, Japanese, 1764-1820

The White Elephant, Kubota Shunman, 1805 A white elephant, with a cover lying on three pillows. This is a reference to the idea that stroking a statue of an OS lying on cushions brings happiness. With two poems; One over an ox that turns into an elephant, and one over a mouse and the trunk of an elephant. Made in response to the end of the year of the Rat (mouse) and the start of the new year of the OS. Japan paper color woodcut trunked animals: elephant

Silent fisherman in an autumn wood dated 1475 Shen Zhou Chinese Born to a family of scholars and artists, Shen Zhou chose to lead a life of quiet retirement at home, pursuing the scholar-artist ideal of practicing painting and calligraphy as a form of self-cultivation. Although he did not turn to painting until he was nearly forty, he was later heralded as the father of the Wu school.Painted when Shen Zhou was forty-eight, Silent Angler in an Autumn Wood is a relatively early work. Nevertheless, it exhibits the kind of bold brushwork and composition that typify the artist's mature style. Eliminating any background so that the screen of foreground trees fills the picture plane, Shen Zhou maximized the impact of the surface patterns made by his blunt, powerful brushstrokes.According to Shen Zhou's inscription, the painting was done for two old friends, father and son, who had come for a visit. In both his painting and the accompanying poem, Shen used the image of the fisherman to symboli

Strijder Minamoto no yoshiie on horseback and bird on branch, ryûûryûkyo shinsai, c. 1825 Two parts of a miniature folding screen: a bird on the left on a branch cherry blossom; On the right the warrior Minamoto No Yoshiie (1039-1106) on horseback with his servant by a river. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut screen, folding screen. birds

Swallow and Wisteria mid-1840s Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese. Swallow and Wisteria. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Japan. mid-1840s. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

"Fourth Month" from Fujiwara no Teika's "Birds and Flowers of the Twelve Months". Artist: Ogata Kenzan (Japanese, 1663-1743). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 6 5/16 x 8 15/16 in. (16 x 22.7 cm)Overall with mounting: 43 1/4 x 19 in. (109.9 x 48.3 cm)Overall with knobs: 43 1/4 x 20 5/8 in. (109.9 x 52.4 cm). Date: 1743.Kenzan, brother of the painter and designer Ogata Korin (1658-1716), is best known as a potter but was also a gifted painter and calligrapher. This small painting was separated from a group of twelve representing plants and animals symbolic of the twelve months, each inscribed with two poems. The poems were taken from the Shuiguso, a collection of verse by the influential poet and calligrapher Fujiwara Teika (1162-1241). The poems from the fourth month refer to unohana (deutzia flowers) and to the hototogisu, a bird related to the cuckoo. They read:Shirotae no koromo hosu cho natsu no kite kakine mo tawa ni sakeru u no hana Hototogisu Shinobu no sato ni sato

Large-flowered Flat Bill and Sparrow ca. 1833 Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese. Large-flowered Flat Bill and Sparrow. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Japan. ca. 1833. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Prints

Still life with Koto. A 13-string Japanese instrument (Koto) in a half-opened fountry. In addition, a flowering dwarf plum tree. With multiple poems. The print is a copy from the late Meiji period (1868-1912)

The Jewel River of Plovers in Mutsu Province (Mutsu Chidori no Tamagawa), from an untitled series of Six Jewel Rivers. Rekisentei Eiri; Japanese, active c. 1781-1818. Date: 1780-1790. Dimensions: 12 3/4 x 8 11/16 in. Color woodblock print; aiban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

. One of twelve landscapes, finger painting with inscription by the painter Gao Qipei (1662 - 1731 ()). Note: See inv. Nr. AK-MAK-290.

Cherry Blossoms and Shells 19th century Ryūryūkyo Shinsai Japanese. Cherry Blossoms and Shells 54728

Millet and Sparrows. Artist: Geiai (active mid-16th century). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 39 9/16 × 17 5/8 in. (100.5 × 44.8 cm)Overall with knobs: 75 3/4 × 24 7/8 in. (192.4 × 63.2 cm). Date: mid-16th century.The everyday sight of cavorting sparrows was a favored theme among painters of the Muromachi period. This deftly rendered ink painting captures their lively forms in an abbreviated manner, using so-called boneless brushwork to render their feathers without lines, in varied tones, and exploiting the white ground for their soft underbodies. The meticulous linear definition of the chrysanthemum and millet emphasizes their differing textures and allows a pleasing contrast in brushwork. A number of skilled ink paintings of birds and plants bearing "Geiai" seals survive, including a very similar composition of approximately the same size in the Mary Griggs Burke Collection. At least two versions of the "Geiai" seal are known, and some paintings have an additional seal reading

Album of Miscellaneous Subjects, Leaf 7, early 1650s. Fan Qi (Chinese, 1616-aft 1694). Album leaf, ink and color on silk; image: 12.6 x 17.3 cm (4 15/16 x 6 13/16 in.); overall: 21 x 22 cm (8 1/4 x 8 11/16 in.).

Kabuki Marquee. Utagawa Toyokuni I (Japan, 1769-1825). 1822. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print; surimono with attachment

Plum Blossoms, Camellias, and Mandarin Ducks. Origin: China. Period: Ming dynasty. Date: 15th-16th century. Ink and color on silk. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Tenjin Traveling to China. Artist: Konoe Nobutada (Japanese, 1565-1614). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 38 7/16 × 16 13/16 in. (97.7 × 42.7 cm)Overall with mounting: 72 1/16 × 17 13/16 in. (183 × 45.3 cm)Overall with knobs: 72 1/16 × 19 13/16 in. (183 × 50.4 cm). Date: late 16th century.This abbreviated, strongly brushed depiction of Tenjin--the posthumously deified spirit of Heian-period statesman and poet Sugawara Michizane (845-903)--was created by the courtier, artist, and poet extolled for his calligraphy as one of the "Three Brushes of the Kan'ei period." Nobutada, who held several high-ranking court positions and was once exiled for political reasons, studied Zen under the abbot Takuan Soho (1573-1645) and was influenced by the spontaneous mode of painting practiced by Zen monks. He produced a number of ink paintings of Tenjin in a spare, powerful style characterized by an economy of brushwork and sketch-like quality. A near-duplicate of this particular version exists in

Cover From a Japanese Illustrated Book. Artist: Okumura Masanobu (Japanese, 1686-1764). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 10 3/4 x 15 5/8 in. (27.3 x 39.7 cm). Date: ca. 1739. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

A Book on Flower Arrangement: Hare's-Foot Fern, Vols. 2 and 3 1822 Yoshida Tôgetsu Japanese. A Book on Flower Arrangement: Hare's-Foot Fern, Vols. 2 and 3. Yoshida Tôgetsu. Japan. 1822. Monochrome Woodblock printed books; ink on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

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

A man engaged in metalwork, appears to be melting statues to reuse the metal, with a kitten next to his left leg, , artist, between 1790 and 1840, 1 painting : color.

Wind, Totoya Hokkei, c. 1822 A man and a boy on a green mat look at a flying parasol to which a hand role is attached. The man is the Chinese immortal ôsho. His master, who had withdrawn into the mountains, sent him a letter by attaching it to a parasol. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut parasol, sunshade

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 2 (leaf 15), 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.

Arranging musician with Samisen, Anonymous, c. 1820 A musician with a large wicker hat plays a shamisen. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut A musician with a large wicker hat plays a shamisen. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut

Iris and Sparrow. Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797-1858 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 8 15/16 x 6 3/5 in. (22.7 x 16.8 cm). Date: ca. 1832. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Picture Book with Mixed Verses on Jōruri (Puppet Theater) 1815 Katsushika Hokusai Japanese. Picture Book with Mixed Verses on Jōruri (Puppet Theater). Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1760-1849 Tokyo (Edo)). Japan. 1815. Woodblock printed book; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Ebi-takarabune: a shrimp as the hull of the mythical treasure ship; surimono. Utagawa, Toyohiro (1773-1828), graphic artist

Monkey Bridge in the Kai province, board 13 from the series: Views of famous places in about sixty provinces /Rokuju yoshu meisho zue

Kakemono of Monkey, Wine Cup and Potted Plants probably 1812 Keisai Eisen Japanese. Kakemono of Monkey, Wine Cup and Potted Plants 53986

The Studio, illustration for The White Shell (Shiragai), from the series "A Matching Game with Genroku-period Poem Shells (Genroku kasen kai awase)". Katsushika Hokusai ; Japanese, 1760-1849. Date: 1816-1826. Dimensions: 20.2 x 17.7 cm. Color woodblock print with metallic pigments and blindprinting; surimono shikishiban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Cicada and spider on corn, 1788 Page 9b and 10a in part one of the Utamaro insect book. Or paper color woodcut

Minamoto no yoshiie on horseback and bird on branch; A set of room screens. Two parts of a miniature room screen: on the left a bird on a cherry blossom branch; On the right the MINAMOTO no Yoshiie warrior (1039-1106) on horseback with his servant at a river. With two poems.

Programma van of 'Theatrical morning' Georganiserd Door of Franco-Japanese Society of Paris, Anonymous, After Yanagawa Shigenobu (I), Before 1908 photomechanical print Op of Voorzijde Het Embleem van of Franco-Japanese Society of Paris: Een Kraaiende Haan puts Bloemen Voor de Zon. Daaronder: 'Theatral morning program organized by the Franco-Japanese company in Paris with the graceful competition of Mme. Sada-Yakko and Mr. Kawakami and reserved for members of the company. Theater Marigny February 8, 1908 '. Binnenin Een Surimono Door Yanagawa Shigenobu. Paris paper printing block portrait of actor, actress

Outfit for the New Year Ceremony. Artist: Ryuryukyo Shinsai (Japanese, active ca. 1799-1823). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 5 5/16 x 7 5/16 in. (13.5 x 18.6 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Picture book of nature, 1901 book Two parts (complete) with images of landscapes, flowers, plants and animals. In gray -green cassette with wave pattern. paper color woodcut

Fujiwara - pearls of ebb and flow and a scythe on the table covered with silk decorated with cherry blossom pattern, poems by Isuzugawando and Senbatei Teodori; surimono from the series Shisei-no uchi" (Four Great Clans of Japan). Katsushika, Hokusai (1760-1849), graphic artist

The Poet Mibu no Tadamine, from a set of album leaves illustrating The Thirty-six Poetic Immortals. Artist: Iwasa Matabei (Japanese, 1578-1650). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 11 1/4 × 12 3/4 in. (28.6 × 32.4 cm); Overall with mounting: 47 3/4 × 16 5/8 in. (121.3 × 42.2 cm); Overall with knobs: 47 3/4 × 18 3/4 in. (121.3 × 47.6 cm). Date: early 17th century.For the Japanese elite, poetry was the quintessential literary experience. Idealized and deeply admired, poets were often commemorated in portraiture. In the early eleventh century, Fujiwara Kinto (966-1041) selected thirty-six "immortal" poets from the past, and their images became a popular theme in the yamato-e painting tradition. This picture, originally part of a set of album leaves of the thirty-six poets, is attributed to Iwasa Matabei (1578-1650), a renowned painter who is often credited with originating ukiyo-e genre painting. Portrayed is the poet Mibu no Tadamine (act. ca. 910), accompanied by his famous poem of spri

PLAYING THE ZITHER FOR A CRANE, 1540-50s, Chinese painting, Ming dynasty, ink, color on silk. A man plays music for his pet crane beneath a massive paulownia tree. His house is set in a garden-like landscape, with decorative rocks, flowers, and footbridge over a stream (BSLOC_2017_16_7)

Silhouette Image of Kabuki Actor 19th century Utagawa Yoshiiku Japanese. Silhouette Image of Kabuki Actor 58268

Cabinet for the Toilet and Bed-Clothes probably 1819 Ryūryūkyo Shinsai Japanese. Cabinet for the Toilet and Bed-Clothes 54898

The Filial Child from Shinano Province from the Collection of Stone and Sand (Shinano koji, Shasekishu), from the series Twenty-four Japanese Paragons of Filial Piety for the Honcho Circle (Honchoren Honcho nijushiko) 1816-1826 Japan. Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono . Yashima Gakutei

Asukayama in the Snow at Evening 1797-1858 Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese. Asukayama in the Snow at Evening 57061

Shakuyaku kana ari, Peony and canary., Katsushika, Hokusai, 1760-1849, artist, 1833 or 1834, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 19.2 x 17.4 cm.

One of the Sanjurokkasen, Album Leaf Painting One of the Sanjurokkasen, Album Leaf Painting, 17th century. Album leaf, ink and color on paper, 12 x 9 in. (30.5 x 22.9 cm). Asian Art 17th century

Toy monkey. Image of a toy monkey, presumably from earthenware. New Year's publishing for the year of the monkey; With four haiku poems.

Monk of Longmen in Ni Zan Style Wan Shanglin Chinese 1800 The canon of approved painting styles set down by Dong Qichang (1555-1636) in the late Ming continued to influence artists through the opening years of the 19th century. Wan Shanglin's model is Ni Zan (1301-1374), the ultimate man of letters, and Wan's smoky ink and sensitive brushline are a respectable homage.Wan's inscription on this painting however, reveals a spirit characteristic of the 19th century, one that questioned the authenticity of accepted classics in literature, morals, history and painting. Wan writes that for eight or nine years he studied two paintings of the Longmen monk purported to be by Ni Zan and was still unable to decide whether they were genuine. His own painting he says, is done from memory of the two pictures. By implication, his version must be judged by its own quality, for fidelity to a copy, even of an orthodox master, would be of little importance. View more. Monk of Longmen in Ni Zan Style. Wan

Advertisement of the drama Haru no Akebono Kuruwa Soga, at the Ichimura Theatre Japan. Hand-colored woodblock print . Torii Kiyomasu II

Fisherman on a seacoast rock and a turtle YANAGAWA, SHIGENOBU (1787 1832)

Oiso no Tora and Shosho Playing Instruments. Nishimura Shigenaga; Japanese, 1697 ()-1756. Date: 1746. Dimensions: 31.5 x 4.9 cm. Color woodblock print; hosoban. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Reverberations of Taiga, Volume 2 (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.

Six Wine Cups early 19th century Unidentified artist. Six Wine Cups 54000

Screen and Miscellaneous New Year Presents 19th century Ishikawa Kazan Japanese. Screen and Miscellaneous New Year Presents 54110

New Moon; Nightingale on a Plum Branch. Artist: Ryuryukyo Shinsai (Japanese, active ca. 1799-1823). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 7 13/16 x 7 5/16 in. (19.8 x 18.6 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Male Courtier Beneath Plum Tree Hakuhô Yamamoto. , 1850s-1860s. Woodblock print; horizontal Chûban yoko-e format, 7 1/16 x 9 13/16 in. (17.9 x 24.9 cm). Asian Art 1850s-1860s

Paddy Bird and Magnolia Flowers (Buncho, kobushi no hana), 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.

Wilderness Colors. Artist: Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) (Chinese, 1642-1707). Culture: China. Dimensions: Image (each leaf): 10 7/8 x 9 1/2 in. (27.6 x 24.1 cm). Date: ca. 1700.In the mid-1690s, after a life of wandering, Shitao settled permanently in Yangzhou, a bustling commercial city on the Grand Canal that eclipsed Suzhou during the eighteenth century as the most vigorous economic and cultural center in China. Renouncing his monastic vows and taking the name Dadizi, or "Greatly Purified One," Shitao turned to painting as his sole means of support.In Wilderness Colors, each leaf offers something unexpected, not only in the painter's choice of subject and compositional arrangement but also in the subtle wit and touching personal insights revealed in the verbal and pictorial imagery. Many of the leaves were inspired by Du Fu (712-770) and Li Bo (701-762) of the Tang dynasty (618-907); others refer to personal experiences. In late-seventeenth-century criticism, an excess of technical versatilit

The Maple Festival (Momiji no ga) from chapter 7 of The Tale of Genji 1760-1764 Japan. Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e . Kitao Shigemasa

Picture Book with Mixed Verses on Joruri (Puppet Theater) (Ehon joruri zekku). Artist: Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1760-1849 Tokyo (Edo)). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 10 1/4 × 6 7/8 in. (26 × 17.5 cm). Date: 1815. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 - 9 June 1892) one of the last great masters of the classical Japanese colour woodcut, here the work The Yugao Chapter

Landscape: Eve of Mid-autumn dated 1686 Unidentified artist. Landscape: Eve of Mid-autumn 49153

Akoya shell; Akoyagai; A comparison of Genroku poems and shells; Genroku Kasen Kaiawase. A Koto (Japanese string instrument) in protective cloth, a bamboo flute and table with New Year decorations consisting of, among other things, sailing blade, a crayfish and a miniature pine. The shell to which the title refers is depicted in the fan shower. With two poems.

An Old Man Walking by a Stream, with Distant Mountains Wu Li (Chinese, 1632-1718). An Old Man Walking by a Stream, with Distant Mountains, 1706. Ink and color on paper, image: 50 3/4 x 13 1/2 in. (128.9 x 34.3 cm). Wu Li, an acclaimed Qing dynasty painter, expressed himself through the styles of a select lineage of past artists. Here, sparse trees and an empty pavilion allude to Ni Zan (1301-1374), but Wu Li has reworked the dry, sketchy style of the Yuan dynasty master by incorporating loose, moist brushstrokes to create a richer tonality. Wu Lis reinterpretation may have been influenced by an increasing awareness of Western artistic techniques, such as chiaroscuro and one-point perspective. Wu Li converted to Christianity in the 1670s, allowing him close contact with the missionaries who brought new images and skills to China from the West. Asian Art 1706

AKUTORZY BANDO SHUCHO JAKO HOTEI Ichiemon I NAKAMURA SHIKAN JAKO OTONAI / Edo NO HANA NO GONIN OTOKO Utagawa, kuniyoshi (1797 1861)

Washing the White Elephant Chen Zi Chinese In both painting and calligraphy, Chen Zi followed the style of his father, Chen Hongshou (1598-1652). In imitating his father's painting, however, the son transformed the older Chen's subtly varied brush mannerisms into hardened conventions. In this scroll, done when Chen Zi was fifty years old, the exaggerated features of the figure and the hardened patterns of the drapery retain a sense of hoary antiquity.One interpretation of the subject of this painting comes from the Zhengshi moyuan, a catalogue of ink-cake designs, where a similar image is accompanied by a poem that suggests that "sweeping the elephant" (saoxiang, in Chinese) is a pun for a homophone that means "sweeping away an attachment to illusory images." Chen's patternized composition, which reflects the influence of woodblock print designs, and his caricaturelike treatment of the figures emphasize his rejection of outward appearance as a reliable indication of spiritual power. Th

The Maple Festival (Momiji no ga) from chapter 7 of The Tale of Genji. Kitao Shigemasa; Japanese, 1739-1820. Date: 1760-1764. Dimensions: 12 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. Color woodblock print; hosoban, mizu-e. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Woman at the table, reading in the "novelty of Genji" .. Woman in kimono with pine and plum blossom pattern, sitting at writing table, with book in left hand, looking outside over porch to garden with water basin; Rear in the room a pile of books on a shelf.

The Fourth Month (Shigatsu), from an untitled series of twelve months 1745-1755 Japan. Color woodblock print; half hosoban, benizuri-e . Ishikawa Toyonobu

Full Sail on the Misty River, 1200s. Assisted by Xia Sheng (Chinese, active 1200s). Fan painting, ink on silk; overall: 80 x 50 cm (31 1/2 x 19 11/16 in.); painting only: 24.2 x 26.1 cm (9 1/2 x 10 1/4 in.).

Bamboo and rising sun Rising sun and bamboo, A big red sun rises behind a golden cloud, the first sunrise of the year. With one poem, sunrise, Utagawa Kunimaru (mentioned on object), Japan, 1829, paper, colour woodcut, h 209 mm × w 186 mm

Lacquer Paintings of Various Subjects: Bird and Willow in Snow. Artist: Shibata Zeshin (Japanese, 1807-1891). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (19.1 x 16.5 cm). Date: 1882.The strong color effect seen in this album is achieved by using lacquer as a painting medium. Painting with lacquer on paper was one of the techniques Zeshin developed into his own style. Despite the heavy material, Zeshin's skillful brushwork and his technical inventions with the material made it possible to create various textures as with ink painting. In addition, some lacquer techniques, like mother-of-pearl inlays and the creation of rough surfaces, are also used. Up until the middle of the Meiji period, lacquer was limited to roughly five colors--black, brown, vermillion, green, and yellow--which determined the color palette of Zeshin's lacquer paintings. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

The Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic Immortals 13th century Unidentified artist This fragment once belonged to a long handscroll known as the Narikane Version” because its calligraphy was attributed to the courtier-poet Taira no Narikane (died ca. 1209). It is the only portion known to be in an American collection. The poem was inscribed in small, evenly spaced letters that seldom flow into one another.Ne no hi shi nishimetsuru nobe no hime komatsuhikade ya chiyo no kage o matamashiDon’t uprootthe pine saplingin the field roped off for the Day of the Rat—wait a thousand years until it castsa long shadow!—trans. by John T. Carpenter. The Poet Fujiwara Kiyotada, from the Narikane Version” of Thirty-six Poetic Immortals 60443

Still Life with a Pillow on Its Lacquer Stand and a PorcelainBowl. Artist: Totoya Hokkei, Japanese, 1780-1850

Page from Shi Zhu Zhai China. Page from Shi Zhu Zhai. China. Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong period (1736-95). Prints

Episode 73 (Nanajusan dan), from the series "Tales of Ise for the Asakusa Group (Asakusagawa Ise Monogatari)". Kubo Shunman; Japanese, 1757-1820. Date: 1807-1817. Dimensions: 21.1 x 18.3 cm. Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Pruimenbloesem Uit Osaka, Totoya Hokkei, after Yôchôtei Misako, after Kashôan Yonemori, 1823 print A still life of different sake (rice wine) cups. On the left a small cup of thin porcelain, floating in water in a silver bowl that is in a holder of black paintwork. Next to it a cup made of a white shell, decorated inside with plum blossom. On the right a large, partly wrapped in canvas, sake cup of red paintwork, decorated with the image of a shôjô, a mythological creature that would live on the coast and spend his days drinking. Right plum blossom under a poem. Naniwa is the traditional name of the city of Osaka, known for the plum blossoms and sake. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut plants; vegetation (+ flowers, blossom, blossoming)

Plum branch, Susaki, courtesan, sparrows, and clothes behind screen 1858 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban, harimaze . Utagawa Hiroshige

Bird on silky wisteria. Utagawa Hiroshige ; Japanese, 1797-1858. Date: 1830-1849. Dimensions: 34.9 x 11.8 cm (13 5/8 x 4 1/2 in.). Color woodblock print; chutanzaku. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Rat one came met adonis, totoya hokkei, c. 1828 A rat next to a flowerpot with adonis in bloom. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut A rat next to a flowerpot with adonis in bloom. With two poems. Japan paper color woodcut

Proof Line-Block Print for Fan. Artist: Utagawa (Gountei) Sadahide (Japanese, 1807-1878/79). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 12 x 9 1/2 in. (30.5 x 24.1 cm). Date: 19th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Enjoying the Wilderness in an Autumn Grove. Artist: Ni Zan (Chinese, 1306-1374). Culture: China. Dimensions: Image: 38 5/8 x 27 1/8 in. (98.1 x 68.9 cm)Overall with mounting: 106 7/8 x 35 7/8 in. (271.5 x 91.1 cm)Overall with knobs: 106 7/8 x 40 in. (271.5 x 101.6 cm). Date: dated 1339.Until the early 1340s, Ni Zan lived the life of a wealthy dilettante, spending his time among the precious books, antiques, and flowers of his Pure and Secluded Pavilion. His painting style at the time, as seen here, exhibits a studied archaism in which his interest in descriptive detail is at odds with his self-conscious use of calligraphic "hemp fiber" brushstrokes in the manner of tenth-century masters. Ni's gentleman seated in a rustic pavilion is shorthand for the scholar in his studio. His florid poem exhibits a similarly precious quality of one entirely absorbed in his immediate surroundings. It reads, in part: In the bright days, bamboo wave in the breeze;In the dark nights, parasols of fir

Swallows and Budding Wild Cherry ca. 1835 Utagawa Hiroshige Japanese The poem is unsigned, as is often the case with poems on Hiroshiges bird-and-flower prints, but the verse is known to be by Takarai Kikaku (Enomoto Kikaku, 1661-1707), a professional poet who numbered among the top disciples of Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694). Swallows (tsubame) are common subjects in haikai set in spring, as in this example: 山の端に　乙鳥をかへす　入日かな　宝井其角Yama no ha ni tsubame o kaesu irihi kana The setting sun— over the mountain ridgesends the swallows home.—Trans. John T. Carpenter. Swallows and Budding Wild Cherry 56944

Flowers, from a set of four, 1838, Rushan, 60 1/8 x 15 7/16 in. (152.72 x 39.21 cm) (image)84 3/16 x 20 1/2 in. (213.84 x 52.07 cm) (overall, without roller), Ink on paper, China, 19th century

The Goddess Kwannon on a Dragon Kawanabe Kyosai (Japanese, 1831-1889). The Goddess Kwannon on a Dragon, 1888. Woodblock color print, 25 x 9 5/8 in. (63.5 x 24.5 cm). Asian Art 1888

PoetThe poet, monk Henjo, from the series: Six famous poets Katsushika, hokusai (1760 1849)

Chinese C18 woodcut: External medicine - 'Bird ulcer'

Writing table with rising sun, Lacquer table with the image of two rocks, seen through silver waves. Crows flying above the table with the sun rising. This performance refers to the first sunrise of the new year on the coast of Futamigaura in the province of Ise, where the so-called Man and Woman rock (Myôtoseki), two sacred rocks connected by a twisted rope of straw. With three poems, sunrise, Totoya Hokkei (mentioned on object), Japan, 1825, paper, colour woodcut, h 206 mm × w 180 mm

Ishiyakushi, section of sheet no 10 from the series Cutout Pictures of the Tokaido (Tokaido harimaze zue) 1842-1857 Japan. Color woodblock print; section of harimaze sheet . Utagawa Hiroshige

InkPlum. Artist: Wang Mian, Chinese, died 1359

Textile, Medium: silk, metallic Technique: embroidery on woven gauze and satin weave, Central rectangle is an applique of embroidery on gauze with two Chinese poems on the left side and a rocky scene with bamboo trees and flowers at right within a red embroidered border. In four lines below the central scene is a Spanish translation of the two poems embroidered in black. A vine and flower garland embroidered in chenille and metallic thread forms the outer border., Spain, 18th-19th century, embroidery & stitching, Textile

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