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Interior Scene with Books and Writing Implements

early to mid-17th century
Not on view
The two-panel format, an innovation of the period, fosters an intimate feeling. Here, the focus is on the contrast between the complex arrangement of implements on the shelves and the simple figure of what appears to be a sleeping child—probably a boy—in unarticulated space.

Genre painting enjoyed great popularity from the late sixteenth century until the advent of ukiyo-e prints in the late seventeenth century. This exquisite screen is typical of the Kan’ei era (1624–49), when candid scenes of sensuous and cultivated brothel life came into favor over the previous generation’s preference for depictions of outdoor activities. The dominant image of a bookcase, with its objects of scholarly pursuit—ink, brushes, books, scrolls, a flower arrangement, and incense utensils in the tray on the top shelf—evokes a literati atmosphere.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 室内風俗図屏風
  • Title: Interior Scene with Books and Writing Implements
  • Artist: Unidentified artist
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: early to mid-17th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Two-panel screen; ink, color, and gold leaf on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 66 1/4 x 74 in. (168.3 x 188 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
  • Object Number: 29.100.497
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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