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Sumiyoshi

The Tale of Genji, late 1600s

Description

Maker

  • Sumiyoshi

Culture

Japanese

Title

The Tale of Genji

Year

late 1600s

Medium

Ink, slight color, gold and gold leaf on paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • ink,
  • color,
  • gold

Supports

  • paper

Dimensions

17.8 x 15.6 x 2.5 cm (7 x 6 1/8 x 1 inches)

Place

Japan

Type

  • Paintings

Credit

Mary B. Jackson Fund, Jesse Metcalf Fund, and Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

82.103.1

Projects & Publications

Publications

A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Feathers, Flowers, Talons and Fangs

February 2 - June 10, 2007

Poets, Heroes, and Courtiers

September 6 - December 1, 2002

This album is an example of the highly refined paintings produced to illustrate The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari). These works often predated the printmaking tradition by centuries and were a point of inspiration for Japanese printmakers.

This chapter of The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) shows Genji in exile at Suma, far from the court life in Kyoto to which he was so accustomed. This painting is similar in composition to renditions of the same subject in the medium of print.

Drawing the Line

March 30 - June 10, 2001

The Tale of Genji, written in about AD 1000 by Murasaki Shikubu, is one of the great works of Japanese literature. Set in the courtly world of Heian society (794-1185), it tells the tale of Genji ("the shining prince") and his son and grandsons.

This two-volume album, executed in the Japanese painting style known as yamato-e, is characterized by cut-off roofs and bird's-eye views into schematized architectural interiors; cloud bands that define spatial recession; and native Japanese subject matter. The Chinese technique of line drawing (baimaio) codified in the 11th century is utilized here in a uniquely Japanese interpretation known as hakubyo, where pale additions of color enhance the abstract patterns of black created, for example, by the flat areas of black ink defining the women's hair and the screens and fences of the buildings. The overall impression is one of refined detail and patterned abstraction in line.

A Decade of Collecting (Painting and Sculpture; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs)

June 26 - September 20, 1987

A Decade of Collecting (Costume and Textiles)

July 17 - September 6, 1987

Related

Sumiyoshi

The Tale of Genji, 1600s

More objects +

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is The Tale of Genji with the accession number of 82.103.1. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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