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Baien 梅園

Mirror and Rouge Cup

Maker

Baien 梅園 (1820 - 1829, Osaka and Edo, Japan)
Tani Seikō 谷清好 (1822 - 1831, Edo and Osaka, Japan), block carver

Title

Mirror and Rouge Cup

Period

Edo Period

Year

ca. 1825-27

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Origin: Japan

Dimensions

Shikishiban: 21.4 x 27.3 cm (8 7/16 x 10 3/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription Text/Poem: 春立てけさかゝみ戸を明かたの袖にうつれる庭の梅か香　浅香勝躬

櫛笥とらぬ賤の女も今朝わか水と初日をあはせ鏡にや見ん　真鍮名言赤金

玉くしけあけてふたみのうらくはし初日のどかに影さすのみこ　鶴廼屋

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of George Pierce Metcalf

Object Number

56.039.59

Type

Exhibition History

Deep Cuts
Stories from Japanese Surimono Prints
May 23, 2026 – Oct 04, 2026
Surimono from Osaka and Edo
The Pumpelly Album
May 23, 2008 – Oct 05, 2008

Label copy

Three Osaka poets, including Tsurunoya Osamaru (ca. 1751-ca. 1839), utilize spring imagery in combination with references to cosmetics to create intricate connections through the visual imagery of the print. The pine, bamboo, and cranes allude to the lunar New Year that marks the arrival of spring. To evoke

the presence of a beautiful woman, a rouge cup is paired with the mirror on which these symbols appear. Baien is the poet Ki no Tsukunari (d. 1886).

Marking the Occasion
The Japanese Tradition of Surimono
Feb 03, 2006 – May 28, 2006

Label copy

The spring imagery of the three poems is combined with references to makeup to create intricate connections through the visual imagery of the print. The cranes, turtle, pine, and bamboo all allude to the New Year: pine and bamboo are used as New Year decorations, and cranes and turtles symbolize long life. The lunar New Year marks the arrival of spring and, to evoke the presence of a beautiful woman, a rouge cup is paired with the mirror on which these symbols appear. Baien has been identified as the poet Ki no Tsukunari.

Seeing with the Mind's Eye
The Art of Printmaking in Japan
Dec 31, 1999 – Mar 19, 2000
Japanese Surimono Prints
Nov 28, 1986 – Jan 25, 1987

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Baien 梅園 (1820 - 1829, Osaka and Edo, Japan)
Tani Seikō 谷清好 (1822 - 1831, Edo and Osaka, Japan), block carver
Mirror and Rouge Cup, ca. 1825-27
polychrome woodblock print with embossing and metallic embellishment (surimono)
Shikishiban: 21.4 x 27.3 cm (8 7/16 x 10 3/4 inches)
Gift of George Pierce Metcalf 56.039.59

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