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衝立、虎図、文具一式|Desk Screen, Writing Set, Painting of Tiger, and Mounting Paraphernalia, from Spring Rain Surimono Album (Harusame surimono-jō, vol. 1)

Ryūryūkyo Shinsai

1818

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Brush Tiger

Dominant colour

衝立、虎図、文具一式|Desk Screen, Writing Set, Painting of Tiger, and Mounting Paraphernalia, from Spring Rain Surimono Album (Harusame surimono-jō, vol. 1) is a 1818 ink by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai, a Romanticism work, depicting Brush, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Ryūryūkyo Shinsai
When & what style?: 1818 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This album holds three small woodblock prints. The top left shows a shadowy figure in a dark cloak, holding a lantern over a table with bowls and tools. The top right has a red brush holder with a writing box next to it, and a folded paper fan. The bottom right features a tiger curled up beside a desk with brushes and ink. Notice the tiny details: the tiger’s striped tail, the brushes lined up neatly, and the way the lantern light cuts through the dark cloak. These prints were made as gifts for friends, not for sale. Look up brush next to see how artists used them in traditional Japanese painting.