Scenes from the Tale of Genji
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a gold folding screen with tiny figures in silk robes moving through gardens and palace halls. This screen was made in the 1700s to illustrate Japan’s oldest novel, written 700 years earlier. The book follows Prince Genji’s many love affairs and the quiet feelings of the women around him. The artist never signed the work—folding screens were often made to be moved, not kept forever. To see more art from the same time, look up japan, edo period (1615–1868).
