Okumura Masanobu
Japanese, 1686-1764
Murasaki Shikibu, from the series Ukiyo-e Genji
INV-1958
Okumura Masanobu
Japanese, 1686-1764Edo period (1615–1868), about 1710
Murasaki Shikibu, from the series Ukiyo-e Genji
Okumura Masanobu Japanese, 1686-1764 →Japanese (culture or style)woodblock printprint
Date
Edo period (1615–1868), about 1710
Medium
Woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
27.2 × 36.6 cm (10 3/4 × 14 7/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
Murasaki Shikibu authored the most revered novel in Japanese history, The Tale of Genji, which explores courtly romance. She is said to have written it after she retired from court and secluded herself at the peaceful Ishiyama Temple in central Japan. In prints she is often shown seated at her desk in a moment of contemplation. Here she looks out over the waters of Lake Biwa while pausing from her work. On the low table before her are blank sheets of paper, brushes, and ink.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
Komurasaki of the Miuraya and Shirai Gompachi (Miuraya Komurasaki, Shirai Gompachi)
Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川 歌麿 Japanese, c.1753-1806
Hamamatsu, from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi)," also known as the Tokaido with Poem (Kyoka iri Tokaido)
Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 Japanese, 1797-1858
Mitsuke: Ferries Crossing the Tenryu River (Mitsuke, Tenryugawa funawatashi), from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi)," also known as the Tokaido with Poem (Kyoka iri Tokaido)
Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川 広重 Japanese, 1797-1858
