Artwork preview

Gifts of the Ebb Tide (The Shell Book) (Shiohi no tsuto) 潮干のつと(都登)

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows an open book with two pages. The pages are yellowed and have a thin black border around the edges. The pages are filled with Japanese writing in black ink. The left page has a large dark brown and black rock or shell with several small shells and pebbles scattered around it. The right page has a small pile of smooth, flat stones or shells in shades of brown and tan. A small, dark-colored shell sits on the right side of the page. The background of the image is solid black.

Artwork Details

Date
probably 1789
Medium
Woodblock printed book (orihon, accordion-style); ink, color, mica, and gold-leaf on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
599 × 337 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette