Books and a Bookcase
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
7 11/16 x 6 5/8 in. (19.5 x 16.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP2333
Tags
Art Historical Context
Keisai Eisen’s “Books and a Bookcase” is a refined example of a surimono, a commissioned woodblock print produced 19th-century Japan. Created with ink and color on paper, the compact print (roughly the size of a postcard) depicts a modest bookcase filled with volumes and accented by delicate flowers. Surimono were typically made for poetry circles or special occasions, allowing artists to employ luxurious techniques such as embossing, metallic pigments, and precise registration that went beyond standard commercial prints. Eisen, best known for his portraits of beautiful women, here turns to s...
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...