Artwork preview

Hawker of Love Letters

Kubo Shunman

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hawker of Love Letters by Kubo Shunman: The image depicts a man and a child. The large man wears a white head covering and a long, wide-sleeved robe with horizontal stripes in shades of green, blue and tan with a yellow under-robe visible at the bottom. The man carries a pole on his left shoulder with a small tray on the right end of the pole behind his back. The smaller person to his left wears an orange robe with a white kimono underneath and holds a stick in his right hand. The man appears to look to his right. The background has a gradient from reddish-orange to light blue. The image contains text on the left and right sides. An oval shape protrudes from the top center of the image. Inside the oval are two figures dressed in robes; one holds an umbrella and the other holds a pole. The image is framed in a thin line with tied ends and decorative corners. A circular red seal appears at the bottom right.

Artwork Details

Date
19th century
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
426 × 625 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette