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Yukihira and Two Brinemaidens at Suma

18th century
Not on view
Masanobu, a great innovator of ukiyo-e painting, gives the classic tale of the sisters Matsukaze and Murasame a novel treatment. The setting, sketched lightly in ink, is Suma's desolate shore, but the colorful protagonists are characteristic of the "floating world" of Edo's pleasure quarter.

Here, the sisters' lover, Yukihira, is portrayed as an urban bon vivant and affects a stylish nonchalance. His flashy robe is patterned with the bamboo blinds of a well-appointed room and features crests of a courtier's cap, furthering the playful fantasy of the Edo townsman as aristocratic lover. A striped jacket and hat, typical of an Edo dandy, are draped on the tree in the background, recalling the fabled pine at Suma where Yukihira once left a robe and cap as parting gifts.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Yukihira and Two Brinemaidens at Suma
  • Artist: Okumura Masanobu (Japanese, 1686–1764)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: 18th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
  • Dimensions: Image: 33 1/8 x 12 7/8 in. (84.1 x 32.7 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 66 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. (169.5 x 45.1 cm)
    Overall with knobs: 66 3/4 x 20 1/4 in. (169.5 x 51.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.268.126
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

Cover Image for 8940. Yukihira and Two Brinemaidens at Suma

8940. Yukihira and Two Brinemaidens at Suma

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More Artwork

More Artwork
An Oiran Playing the Shamisen to a Young Man Kneeling by Her Side in Rapt Attention, Okumura Masanobu Japanese, Monochrome woodblock print; ink on paper, Japan
An Oiran Playing the Shamisen to a Young Man Kneeling by Her Side in Rapt Attention
After Okumura Masanobu
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries
Hawk at sunrise, Jeong Hong-Rae 정홍래 鄭弘來 Korean, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Korea
Hawk at sunrise
Attributed to Jeong Hong-Rae 정홍래 鄭弘來
second half 18th century–first half 19th century
A Man Attended by a Servant Carrying a Lantern, Okumura Masanobu Japanese, Monochrome woodblock print; ink on paper, Japan
A Man Attended by a Servant Carrying a Lantern
After Okumura Masanobu
Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese
Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto)
Japanese
16th century

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