two cut-away interior vignettes with hill and trees between them; scene on left with man in black at left; standing lady at center in white flowered kimono and red apron-like skirt; three seated woman at right, one at left; woman in pink walking up stairs toward standing woman; two women in LRC in garden with white and red flowers; scene at right with man in white seated at top center; five seated women; one standing woman at left carrying a tray with a white cloth; unsigned

The "Jeweled Chaplet" and "Typhoon" Chapters from the Tale of Genji, late 18th-early 19th century

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Genji’s palace had four quadrants, each with its own seasonal garden and living quarters for a specific woman. Each quadrant, and thus each woman, was associated with a season: Murasaki, Genji’s favorite consort, was in the quadrant associated with spring; Akikonomu, an empress and Genji’s adopted daughter, with autumn; one of his lovers, the Akashi Lady, winter; and another of Genji’s lovers, the Lady of the Orange Blossoms, summer. This small screen shows two scenes, both of which take place at Genji’s palace and feature one of these women. In the right-hand scene, Genji and Murasaki gather in spring to examine robes laid out on lacquer trays to determine which ones to send to the other women of Genji’s mansion. At left, Genji’s son visits Akikonomu to check on her after a storm hit the palace one autumn night. Her young attendants set out insect cages near the flowering grasses in her garden. This screen’s mate, now missing, may have depicted scenes associated with the other two women residing at Genji’s palace, the Akashi Lady and the Lady of the Orange Blossoms.

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Details
Title
The "Jeweled Chaplet" and "Typhoon" Chapters from the Tale of Genji
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2015.79.43
Catalogue Raisonne
Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 80
Curator Approved

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two cut-away interior vignettes with hill and trees between them; scene on left with man in black at left; standing lady at center in white flowered kimono and red apron-like skirt; three seated woman at right, one at left; woman in pink walking up stairs toward standing woman; two women in LRC in garden with white and red flowers; scene at right with man in white seated at top center; five seated women; one standing woman at left carrying a tray with a white cloth; unsigned