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俵屋宗達工房　月に秋草図屏風|Moon and Autumn Grasses

Tawaraya Sōtatsu

1666

ink

panel

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Baroque Baroque Landscape Flower Moon Plant

Dominant colour

俵屋宗達工房　月に秋草図屏風|Moon and Autumn Grasses is a 1666 ink by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, a Baroque work, depicting Flower, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Tawaraya Sōtatsu
When & what style?: 1666 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This painting shows six golden panels with simple, flat fields of grass and wildflowers. A dark, smooth crescent moon hangs in the top left panel. The colors are muted—soft greens, whites, and golds—with tiny silver flecks mixed in. The artist used short, sharp lines to suggest texture, like tiny strokes for grass blades. This was made in Japan in the 1600s, but it feels calm and quiet, not dramatic. Look up cross-hatching next to see how artists build detail with layered lines.

About the artist

Artist

Tawaraya Sōtatsu

Tawaraya Sōtatsu (俵屋宗達; c. 1570 – c. 1640) was a Japanese furniture designer and painter of the Rinpa school. Sōtatsu is best known for his decorations of calligraphic works by his partner Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558–1637),…

See the richer artist page