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The Cleveland Museum of Art
Righteousness, from The Five Virtues
Description
Two young male courtesans enjoy reading in their quarters by candlelight. One holds an illustrated book recognizable as the drawing manual Illustrated Book of the Treasure-Bag of Sketches (絵本写宝袋), published in 1720 by Tachibana Morikuni (1679–1748). The poem at the top translates as follows: In all things to be humble, discern the path of reason, and abstain from falsehood. This is what we call righteousness.
Provenance
Louis V. Ledoux; Edith Ehrman [1932–1974], New York, NY, consigned to Sotheby's for sale after her death; (Sotheby Parke Bernet, June 17, 1975 sale, lot 29); (R. E. Lewis, Inc., California, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin Smith); The Kelvin Smith Collection, Cleveland, OH, given by Mrs. Kelvin [Eleanor Armstrong] Smith [1899–1998] given to the Cleveland Museum of Art; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Dimensions
36.6 × 21.6 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1985.307
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japanese Art • Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery