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. |
In this quiet riverside gathering, time seems to drift like water, carrying memories rather than moments. The figures are not merely characters but fragments of longing, suspended between conversation and silence beneath blossoming trees. Nature listens as faithfully as the companions themselves, with hills and streams echoing emotions too delicate for speech. Gold-tinted skies suggest that every beautiful meeting is touched by impermanence, while the flowing landscape mirrors the uncertain path of human affection. The painting whispers that life is less about grand events than fleeting encounters, where love, beauty, and memory survive only because they cannot be held forever.
Information Compiled by
Isha Pal