Small Fishes
ca. 1890–92
Medium
Album leaf; silk
Dimensions
13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in. (34.3 x 27.6 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
14.76.61.94
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Small Fishes" is a delicate album leaf painting by Sekiūkō, created around 1890–92 during Meiji period (1868–1912). This era marked rapid modernization and Western influence, yet artists like Shūkō upheld traditional Japanese painting techniques amid cultural shifts. Measuring 13½ x 10⅞ inches, the silk-mounted work captures the artist's skill in rendering aquatic life, a timeless motif in East Asian art symbolizing vitality, abundance, and the flow of life. As an album leaf, this intimate format was designed for private contemplation or sharing among collectors, folding into larger albums f...