The Tale of Genji, Chapter 51; Ukifune (one of a pair with F1965.6)

Object Details

• Artist

  Kano Naonobu (1607-1650)

• School/Tradition

  Kano

• Label

  This is one of a pair of folding screens illustrating two of the fifty-four chapters in The Tale of Genji, a narrative composed in the early eleventh century by a lady of the court known as Murasaki Shikibu. This fictional biography of Prince Genji, whose life was filled with romance and tragedy, was a frequent subject of Japanese paintings.

  This screen represents chapter fifty-one, Ukifune. The lady Ukifune and her lover Niou, drift together in a boat on a wintry day, sheltered by a folding screen and temporarily isolated in their tragic romance.

  The painter Kano Naonobu chose monochromatic ink and thin color washes for a theme that was more commonly illustrated in lavish color and gold. The dreamlike effect of the mists and washes is poetically evocative of the mood of each episode. Naonobu was an official painter who served the Tokugawa shogun.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Painting the Classics: Japanese Screens (November 10, 2018 to October 14, 2019)

  Japanese Screens (February 6 to August 19, 2013)

  Japanese Screens (February 11, 1983 to July 19, 1988)

  Japanese Art (July 1, 1974 to April 10, 1978)

  Japanese Art—Painted Screens (August 18, 1967 to May 2, 1973)

  Japanese Art, Galleries 3, 4, and 5 (January 1, 1963 to September 16, 1970)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1600s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Kano, Naonobu

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, The Tale of Genji

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings