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RISDM 82-103-1 contact.pdf
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Sumiyoshi

The Tale of Genji

Description

Maker

Sumiyoshi

Culture

Japanese

Title

The Tale of Genji

Period

Edo Period

Year

late 1600s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, color, gold

Supports

Geography

Origin: Japan

Dimensions

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

Credit / Object Number

Credit

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

Object Number

82.103.1

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Feathers, Flowers, Talons and Fangs
Power and Serenity in Japanese Nature Prints
Feb 02, 2007 – Jun 10, 2007
Poets, Heroes, and Courtiers
Literary and Narrative Traditions in Japanese Prints
Sep 06, 2002 – Dec 01, 2002

Label copy

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
Mar 30, 2001 – Jun 10, 2001

Label copy

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 (Costume and Textiles)
Jul 17, 1987 – Sep 06, 1987
A Decade of Collecting (Painting and Sculpture; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs)
Jun 26, 1987 – Sep 20, 1987

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

Tombstone

Sumiyoshi
The Tale of Genji, late 1600s
Ink, slight color, gold and gold leaf on paper
17.8 x 15.6 x 2.5 cm (7 x 6 1/8 x 1 inches)
Mary B. Jackson Fund, Jesse Metcalf Fund, and Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 82.103.1

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