月岡雪鼎筆 女三宮「若菜上」『源氏物語』|The Third Princess with her Cat, from the "New Herbs I" (Wakana I) chapter The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari}

Tsukioka Settei

18th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

The focal point of one of the tragic romances in the second half of The Tale of Genji is the childlike Third Princess, whom Genji takes to wife in his middle years. While pursuing her runaway cat, the young girl emerges from her living quarters and is seen by Kashiwagi, son of Genji’s best friend, who falls in love with her. This results in a clandestine relationship, Kashiwagi’s guilt-inspired illness and death, and an infant passed off—with Genji’s unspoken knowledge of the truth—as Genji’s offspring. Settei, born in Omi Province, lived and worked in Osaka as an ukiyo-e painter and print artist, designing numerous printed books and producing paintings of beautiful women dressed in the height of contemporary fashion. Many of these were geisha and courtesans, although his late works also included courtly subject matter.

Artist

Tsukioka Settei

Date

18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015