Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)

Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)

Suzuki Harunobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The orderly composition of this scene, with architectural elements arranged in parallel diagonals, reveals a private room and courtyard behind a roofed wall covered with vines. In the tightly organized space, a woman in a loose garment sits on the veranda after her bath. The maid turns her head toward the clock, partially seen at left, at the moment it strikes the hour. The woman, though listening to the clock, seems preoccupied. The traditional representation of the "evening bell" in this print from the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers appears in the pagoda of a temple in the distance. Here, the clock stands in for the temple bell. Again, there is a subtle suggestion of a romantic narrative; the strikes of the clock may remind the woman of a lover's impending visit. The standing screen decorated with bamboo divides formal areas of the house from the intimate scene we see here.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)Evening Chime of the Clock (Tokei no banshō), from the series “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei)

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.