Murasaki Shikibu, from the series Ukiyo-e Genji
Okumura Masanobu (Japanese, 1686-1764)
Edo period (1615–1868), about 1710
- Medium
- Woodblock print; oban
- Classification
- Dimensions
- 27.2 × 36.6 cm (10 3/4 × 14 7/16 in.)
- Culture
- Japan
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
- Credit line
- Clarence Buckingham Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Murasaki Shikibu authored the most revered novel in Japanese history, The Tale of Genji, which explores courtly romance. She is said to have written it after she retired from court and secluded herself at the peaceful Ishiyama Temple in central Japan. In prints she is often shown seated at her desk in a moment of contemplation. Here she looks out over the waters of Lake Biwa while pausing from her work. On the low table before her are blank sheets of paper, brushes, and ink.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
