A Woman and Baby

A Woman and Baby

Katsushika Hokusai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hokusai, an artist chiefly known for his landscapes, in this sketch beautifully depicted a mother and child playing cat's cradle. The two figures, absolutely alone, focus only on one another; the intimate emotional relationship between them is tenderly realized. The body proportions of this woman do not correspond to those fashionable at the time and well represented by Harunobu's delicate, refined ladies or Utamaro's elongated, slender ones.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.