Albums of scenes from The Tale of Genji

Albums of scenes from The Tale of Genji

Tosa Mitsunori

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A miniaturized version of ink-line (hakubyō) painting emerged during the Momoyama and early Edo periods, marking a turn in monochromatic depictions of The Tale of Genji. This genre is best represented by the virtuosic work of Tosa Mitsunori. Like polychrome examples of Genji painting, these albums contain one or more scenes for each chapter. They present a new, polished manner of monochrome painting that renders original compositions at a dramatically reduced scale with rich detail that rewards close inspection.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Albums of scenes from The Tale of GenjiAlbums of scenes from The Tale of GenjiAlbums of scenes from The Tale of GenjiAlbums of scenes from The Tale of GenjiAlbums of scenes from The Tale of Genji

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.