Benevolence, from The Five Virtues
Suzuki Harunobu · 1767 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Guide
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From the museum
This print belongs to a series of five depicting the cardinal virtues of Confucianism. In this image, a courtesan demonstrates benevolence by shaving her attendant’s neck. The other virtues are righteousness, decorum, knowledge, and fidelity. A poem at the top reads as follows: "If you would dwell on the path of the heart, / that is kind to others, / then must you not also be someone, / who suppresses even her own name?"
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese, 1724–1770)
- Date
- 1767
- Medium
- color woodblock print
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 27.6 x 20.4 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- Japan
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. Madeleine Hamill in memory of Lawrence Hamill
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
