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Female Entertainer with a Young Man

Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 Japanese

ca. 1679–84

Not on view

Considered the founder of the lineage of ukiyo-e woodblock print artists, Moronobu drew on his experience growing up in a family of textile designers to create prints with bold outlines and graphic renderings of kimono patterns. Here, a female entertainer, who has set aside her three-stringed shamisen, and a young samurai, who has put down his sword, engage in playful banter. The monochrome print (sumizuri-e) was produced with ink, then colored by hand.

Female Entertainer with a Young Man, Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (Japanese, 1618–1694), Woodblock print (sumizuri-e); ink and hand-applied color on paper; horizontal ōban, Japan — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

菱川師宣画　遊女と若衆

Title: Female Entertainer with a Young Man

Artist: Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (Japanese, 1618–1694)

Period: Edo period (1615–1868)

Date: ca. 1679–84

Culture: Japan

Medium: Woodblock print (sumizuri-e); ink and hand-applied color on paper; horizontal ōban

Dimensions: Frame: 16 9/16 × 20 1/16 in. (42.1 × 51 cm)
Image: 10 3/4 × 14 1/2 in. (27.3 × 36.8 cm)

Classification: Prints

Credit Line: Lent by Lee E. Dirks

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.