Picking Clams

Utagawa Toyokuni I

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the late eighteenth century, ukiyo-e printmakers began to create works consisting of three attached ōban ("large format") sheets of paper. Toyokuni took advantage of this layout to place figures in panoramic landscapes. In this triptych, he arranged a group of three figures in the foreground of each sheet and used Western perspective (uki-e) to draw our eyes to the seascape in the distance. At the center, beauties in stunning garments stand in graceful poses like actors on stage, flanking a handsome young man.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art