Sei Shonagon, from the series Ancient Patterns (Kodai moyo)
Meiji period (1896–1912), 1896
Medium
Color woodblock print, oban triptych
Dimensions
Left: 37.5 × 25 cm (14 13/16 × 9 7/8 in.); Center: 37.5 × 25 cm (14 13/16 × 9 7/8 in.); Right: 38.5 × 25.8 cm (15 3/16 × 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
150411
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this 19th-century triptych, Kobayashi Kiyochika depicted the revered tenth-century poet Sei Shōnagon, author of The Pillow Book, a collection of writings reflecting on her time as a court lady. She is dressed as a 10th-century woman, wearing a wide-brimmed traveler’s hat and veil. Her veil is beautifully rendered, and the artist muted the colors seen through it. The poem by Shōnagon reads: Flee as I might, If I remain within this world I tire of nowhere: Such a lovely place to live. (Tra...
About the Artist
Kobayashi Kiyochika · 1847–1915
Japanese, 1847–1915