Potted Pine Tree and Koto (Japanese Harp)

A potted pine tree sits atop an orange and turquoise patterned cloth atop a brown Japanese harp. The tree has a twisted trunk and green needle-like leaves and is in a short, wide pot with a Greek key border around the rim and green and white designs on the body. The harp has a long neck and a flat soundbox with short legs; it is lying down with the neck on the left. The background fades to off-white and there are several columns of Japanese characters on the left and right sides, one column on the right side partially obscured by the cloth.

Artwork details

Date:: 19th century
Medium:: Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Culture:: Japan
Dimensions:: 539 × 624 px
Museum record:: View original