Tools for the Carpenter
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 5/8 x 7 9/16 in. (14.3 x 19.2 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
JP2328
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Tools for the Carpenter" Ryūryūkyo Shinsai is a woodblock print from a19th-century Japanese surimono album, measuring just 5⅝ × 7⁹⁄₁₆ inches. Created during Japan's Edo period, surimono were luxurious, privately commissioned prints often produced for poetry societies or New Year's celebrations. Shinsai, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, specialized in these small-format gems, blending intricate ink and color on paper with poetic elegance. This artwork exemplifies surimono's technical brilliance: fine woodblock carving allowed for vibrant hues, subtle gradations (bokashi), and sometimes meta...
About the Artist
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai · 1799–1823
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (柳々居辰斎), active from 1799 to 1823, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker based in Edo (modern Tokyo), renowned for his mastery of surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned woodblock prints produced for elite poetry circles and New Year's celebrations. He began his training under Tawaraya Sōri before becoming a student of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, from whom he recei...