Image source: metmuseum.org
The Tale of Genji
Artist:Kaiho Yusetsu
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Ink |
| Current Location: | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA |
| Location History: | The Tale of Genji attributed to Kaihō Yūsetsu was created in Japan during the seventeenth century and is believed to have remained in Japanese private collections for much of its early history, although the identities of its original owners have not survived in documentary records. During the twentieth century, the handscrolls became part of the distinguished Mary Griggs Burke Collection, internationally recognised for its exceptional holdings of Japanese art. Burke’s collection was assembled through acquisitions from leading Japanese and international art dealers and scholars. In 2015, the handscrolls were transferred to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, through a gift from the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, where they are now preserved in the Department of Asian Art for research, conservation, and public exhibition. |
The Tale of Genji exemplifies the refined aesthetics of Yamato-e, employing fukinuki yatai (blown-off roof perspective) to reveal interior spaces while emphasizing narrative continuity. Delicate mineral pigments, rhythmic compositional sequencing, flattened pictorial space, and subtle chromatic harmonies guide the viewer through psychological nuance, courtly ritual, and layered emotional resonance characteristic of Heian-period visual culture.
Information Compiled by
Isha Pal