Evening Snow on the Heater

Suzuki Harunobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The interior scene in this print is fortified by double windows, both a series of bars and shoji sliding panels. The windows, however, are open. One woman, seated and holding a pipe, seems to expect that she will be seen by a man through the gaps and will be able to arrange an assignation. The other woman is making wadding by stretching sheets of floss silk over the lacquered dome-shaped heaters known as nurioke. Floss silk draped over a nurioke represents the "evening snow" in this print, one of the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, which originated in China and became popular in Japan. The karazuri embossing technique outlines the shape of the floss silk, emphasizing its softness. This print is not a first edition: Slight variations in color and patterns on the walls were added, and the seal of the commissioner, Kyosen, was omitted for the commercial product.

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