Courtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku Dance

Courtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku Dance

Kubo Shunman

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The design of this surimono, a sumptuous print, commissioned by one of the poetry clubs that flourished in the urban society of early-nineteenth-century Edo, uses the accoutrements of a Bugaku performance as auspicious imagery for a New Year's greeting. It evokes an aura of courtly romance in classic literature.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Courtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku DanceCourtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku DanceCourtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku DanceCourtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku DanceCourtier Playing a Flute to Accompany a Bugaku Dance

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.