Image Coming Soon

Illustrations of Genji Monogatari: Vol. 5, Lady of the Boat

17th century

Japanese

Japanese, 1617-1691

Japanese

Japanese

The Tale of Genji was written in the 1000s by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting at the imperial court in Kyoto. It details the trials of Genji, a cavorting young courtier. This set of handscrolls includes a passage of text and illustration for each of the tale’s fifty-four chapters. The paintings offer glimpses of the daily lives of courtiers, including meticulous detailing of the textures and colors of interior furnishings, décor, and fashion. Beginning in the 1400s, generations of painters of the Tosa school received patronage, primarily from members of the aristocracy.

Handscroll; color and platinum on paper

10 1/2 in. (26.67 cm)

L.: 32 ft

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

52.40.5

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "A Thousand Years of Beauty: Japanese Art in Seattle", July 16, 2001 - November 17, 2002

Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", cat. # 130

Published References"Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 130

Thomas, Edward B. "Oriental Art in the Seattle Art Museum," in Art in America, no. 1, 1965, illus. p. 52 (52.40.5 only)

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM

Illustrations of Genji Monogatari: Vol. 5, Lady of the Boat

Illustrations of Genji Monogatari: Vol. 5, Lady of the Boat

Related Works

Resources