Object Details
- Artist
- Iwasa Matabei (1578-1650)
- Label
- Written in the early eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a woman of the imperial court, The Tale of Genji was often illustrated in paintings, and later in books and woodblock prints. Suma was a scenic place on the straits separating Japan's main island, Honshu, from the southern island of Kyushu. It was often mentioned in classical poetry, but it became especially famous as the site of Prince Genji's exile after a particularly scandalous affair. Far enough from the imperial court to seem like a different world, Suma is most often represented in painting as a long shoreline where Genji contemplates his fate. Here a spring storm has arisen suddenly following a brief visit to Genji by his friend from court, To no Chujo. The profuse cherry blossoms express the emotional turmoil of Genji's exile through their association with intense but transient beauty.
- Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Painting the Classics: Japanese Scrolls and Beyond (November 17, 2018 to October 20, 2019)
- Real and Imagined Places in Japanese Art (March 4 to October 21, 2001)
- Japanese Paintings Attributed to Iwasa Matabei (July 1, 1974 to October 1, 1975)
- Credit Line
- Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
- early Edo period
- Period
- Edo period
- Accession Number
- F1970.10
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Ink and color on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 40 x 54.3 cm (15 3/4 x 21 3/8 in)
- Origin
- Japan
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- Edo period (1615 - 1868)
- Japan
- Japanese Art
- Record ID
- fsg_F1970.10
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye388c1e608-c711-4635-ac27-2b4e3f85b14f
