Bamboo and Wreath
Maezawa Otei
1850s
Medium
Color woodblock print; surimono
Dimensions
11.4 × 9.2 cm (4 1/2 × 3 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
43066
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This is a small surimono on yellow-dyed paper that depicts a bamboo stem with a grass wreath. The print contains only two poems: one inside the wreath and one on the left side of the stalk. By skillfully managing the print’s limited space, Maezawa Otei was able to create three zones for inscriptions, for the two poems and for the artist’s signature. Otei, also known as Maezawa Imon, was a painter and print designer working in Osaka. He was one of many practicing artists who originally came from...