Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
A Young Couple in an Up-to-Date Reworking of Narihira’s Journey to the East
Suzuki Harunobu Japanese
Not on view
Harunobu excelled at elegant reworkings (mitate-e), or “parody pictures” of moments from ancient East Asian literature and lore. His youthful men and women always wear the latest contemporary fashion, yet the poses and settings immediately evoke famous scenes. Here, for instance, anyone familiar with illustrations associated with the Tales of Ise, the tenth-century Japanese literary classic, would immediately recall the episode when the protagonist, Ariwara no Narihira, is traveling to the Eastern provinces and stops by Suruga Bay to gaze at Mount Fuji in the distance. In this playful version, Harunobu has substituted a young woman for the courtier on horseback and a wakashu (male youth) for his retainer.
On view from March 8, 2021–May 31, 2021
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
