源氏物語画帖「玉鬘」|“A Lovely Garland” (Tamakazura), from The Tale of Genji

Tosa Mitsuyoshi 土佐光吉|Konoe Sakihisa 近衛前久

early 17th century · Album leaves mounted as a pair of hanging scrolls; ink, gold, silver, and color on paper · Asian Art

In Chapter 22, “A Lovely Garland,” new robes are distributed to ladies in Genji’s household as the New Year approaches. Genji sits near his beloved Murasaki, while the women put garments into lacquered boxes. Mandarin ducks, symbolic of marital harmony, swim in the garden pond. The calligraphy has been attributed to the prominent courtier Konoe Sakihisa (1536–1612).

Artist

Tosa Mitsuyoshi 土佐光吉|Konoe Sakihisa 近衛前久

Date

early 17th century

Medium

Album leaves mounted as a pair of hanging scrolls; ink, gold, silver, and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

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