Rabbits
ca. 1887
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
14 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (36.2 x 28.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914
Accession Number
14.76.61.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late Meiji period (1868–1912), as Japan navigated rapid modernization, artist Kawanabe Kyōsai captured the playful spirit of traditional Japanese painting with *Rabbits* (ca. 1887). Kyōsai, a master of the Kano school and one of the last great ukiyo-e influenced painters, was renowned for his exuberant brushwork, humor, and depictions of animals. This album leaf, an intimate format often collected in bound volumes by connoisseurs, showcases his skill in rendering lively rabbits—symbols of longevity and good fortune in Japanese culture—likely infused with his signature satirical flair. ...
About the Artist
Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎 (Japanese) · 1831 –1889
Japanese, 1831–1889