Artwork
Young Woman with a Book
Young Woman with a Book is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Miyagawa Shunsui. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes her attentive expression and the delicate rendering of her kimono, suggesting a scene of private study or leisurely reading.
Young Woman with a Book portrays a seated young woman holding an open book, her gaze directed toward the pages. The composition emphasizes her attentive expression and the delicate rendering of her kimono, suggesting a scene of private study or leisurely reading. In the context of mid‑18th‑century Edo painting, the book functions as a symbol of literacy, refinement, and the cultivated pastime associated with women of the merchant or samurai classes.
By focusing on this quiet, intellectual moment, Shunsui presents an ideal of feminine grace intertwined with scholarly pursuits.
History & Provenance
Young Woman with a Book was painted by the Japanese artist Miyagawa Shunsui around 1750. The work was produced in Japan during the mid‑Edo period and depicts a young woman holding a book. After its creation, the painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently housed.
The sources do not record any earlier owners, commissions, or exhibition history prior to its acquisition by the Met.
Young Woman with a Book is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The painting, created by Miyagawa Shunsui in 1750, depicts a woman holding a book and was produced in Japan. While the work is part of the museum's holdings, specific inventory or accession numbers are not provided in the available records. Furthermore, no details regarding its exhibition history are currently documented in the sources.
Overview
This painting, titled Young Woman with a Book, was created by Miyagawa Shunsui around 1750. It portrays a lone female figure seated, engaged with a book. The artwork is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a glimpse into Japanese artistic practices of the mid-18th century.
Technique & Style
The artist employs a focused approach, rendering the figure with detailed attention while maintaining a minimalist background. The woman's dark robe features sleeves designed to suggest movement, almost resembling wings. This dynamic element contrasts with the otherwise stark setting, which consists of a plain tan field framed by narrow green and gold borders at the top and bottom. The simplicity of the composition emphasizes the subject herself.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Miyagawa Shunsui (宮川 春水; fl. c. 1740s–1760s) was a Japanese painter and printmaker in the ukiyo-e style. He is sometimes known as Katsukawa Shunsui, having taught Katsukawa Shunshō and founded the Katsukawa school…
- Standing Woman
Lady Ise by the Riverbank
Woman Reading under a Mosquito Net
勝川春章筆 立姿美人図|Woman in a Black Kimono
Untitled
The Third Princess and a Cat, from the "New Herbs I" (Wakana I) chapter The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari}
Woman on Veranda
花魁図|Parading Courtesan
Kureha of Gakuiseya, from Selection of Beauties from the Pleasure Quarters
The Courtesan Moshio Reading a Book
Standing Courtesan
The Third Princess with her Cat, from the "New Herbs I" (Wakana I) chapter The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari}
