Beauty under an Umbrella in the Snow
ca. 1770
Medium
Woodblock print (pillar print); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 26 3/4 in. (67.9 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
JP1376
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Beauty under an Umbrella the Snow* (ca. 1770) is a delicate woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (16151868), capturing the fleeting elegance of everyday life in the "floating world" of ukiyo-e art. This narrow pillar print—measuring just 5 inches wide by over 26 inches tall—was designed for posting on architectural pillars, a popular format that allowed intricate vertical compositions to grace urban spaces like teahouses and theaters. Harunobu, a master innovator, pioneered full-color nishiki-e (brocade prints) around 1765, layering ink and pigments with exquisite precis...
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...