Outfit for the Game of Incense

19th century

Not on view

This privately commissioned, limited-edition New Year's greeting print (surimono) depicts various utensils of the incense game. It features a decorative mica stand, which held the small, silver-framed mica plates under the chopped incense wood pieces as they were heated in the incense heater. The poem refers to several spring symbols using word play, as is customary in New Year's greetings. Also mentioned is the first incense game of the year (hatsuneko), an incense game that celebrates the advent of spring.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Outfit for the Game of Incense
Artist: Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (Japanese, active ca. 1799–1823)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 4 7/8 x 10 3/4 in. (12.4 x 27.3 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Object Number: JP2065
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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