A Couple Locked in an Embrace
ca. 1825
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Horizontal ōban; Image: 10 1/4 × 15 1/8 in. (26 × 38.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Arnold Weinstein Gift, 2001
Accession Number
2001.715.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This woodblock print by Keisai Eisen, created around 1825 during Japan’s Edo period, captures an intimate moment between a couple surrounded by delicate plants. Eisen, a prominent ukiyo-e artist, was celebrated for his expressive depictions of beautiful women and romantic or erotic scenes. Produced as a horizontal ōban sheet using ink and color on paper, the work exemplifies the vibrant printmaking tradition that flourished in urban centers like Edo (modern Tokyo). In the Edo period, woodblock prints served as affordable art for a growing middle class, blending everyday subjects with refined ...
About the Artist
Keisai Eisen · 1790–1848
Keisai Eisen (1790–1848), born Ikeda Yoshinobu in Edo (modern Tokyo), emerged as one of the late Edo period's most prolific ukiyo-e masters. The son of the renowned calligrapher and Kanō-school painter Ikeda Shigeharu, Eisen was immersed in the arts from childhood. He apprenticed under Kanō Hakkeisai, adopting the art name "Keisai" in homage to his teacher, and later studied bijin-ga (images of be...