Artwork

Lady Murasaki at Ishiyama Overlooking a Panorama with Eight Views of Lake Biwa

Lady Murasaki at Ishiyama Overlooking a Panorama with Eight Views of Lake Biwa is a print by the Baroque artist Okumura Masanobu. It dates from 1744 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created around 1744, this woodblock print by Okura Masanobu depicts a domestic interior that opens onto a stylised landscape.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1744, this woodblock print by Okura Masanobu depicts a domestic interior that opens onto a stylised landscape. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art and exemplifies the ukiyo‑e genre’s interest in everyday scenes framed by imagined vistas.

Subject & Meaning

At the centre of the composition a woman in modest kimono sits on a veranda, holding a folding fan. A kneeling attendant stands nearby, suggesting a scene of refined leisure. Through the two large windows the viewer sees a series of eight miniature views of Lake Biwa, linking the private interior with a broader natural world.

Technique & Style

Masanobu employs flat, unmodulated colour fields and crisp line work typical of early ukiyo‑e prints. The roof’s red beams and tiled pattern are rendered with simple geometric shapes, while the eight lake scenes are presented as tiny, almost diagrammatic vignettes within the windows, emphasizing decorative clarity over illusionistic depth.

History & Provenance

The print was produced in the mid‑eighteenth century, a period when Masanobu was pioneering new compositional formats for commercial prints. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through a 20th‑century acquisition, where it remains an example of the artist’s contribution to the development of narrative cityscapes in Japanese printmaking.