Asian Love

Street scene in Yokohama, Japan

Street scene in Kobe, Japan

Buy Me a Coffee

Bronze and jade word hilt, State of Zhao,

Warring States Period (475-221 BCE),  

This artifact from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) is an ornamental piece fixed to the top of a sword hilt.

Crafted from gilded bronze and jade, it features a dynamic trio. A bronze dragon at the bottom is arched in motion and decorated with cloud motifs.

A jade dragon with grain-seed decorations mirrors the bronze one. A bronze tiger on the top is poised powerfully, its jaws gripping a red agate bead.

As a status symbol in the Zhao State, it showcases the exceptional artistry of their metalwork and jade craftsmanship. Unearthed in a tomb in Handan, Hebei, China.

Bridge on Mount Kōya, Japan

The Peak in Hong-Kong, China

Rock formations in the Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam

Interior Scene, Katsukawa Shunsho, Cleveland Museum of Art: Japanese Art

Size: Sheet: 17.8 x 25.8 cm (7 x 10 3/16 in.) Medium: color woodblock print

Portrait of a Courtesan Holding a Pipe (from the series The Six Immortal Poets in Modern Dress), Chōbunsai Eishi, mid 1790s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Japanese Art

Size: Sheet: 38.2 x 25.8 cm (15 1/16 x 10 3/16 in.) Medium: color woodblock print

Courtesan Seated on a Bench Enjoying the Evening Cool in Summer, Kamigaki Horyu, 1615-1868, Cleveland Museum of Art: Japanese Art

In a pensive pose with her chin resting in her hand, a courtesan is seated on a wooden bench that extends diagonally across the lower half of the scroll. Her open robe suggests that it is a warm evening-perhaps late summer or early fall, as indicated by the grapevine pattern on her kimono. The floral patterns in the composition hint at the seasons: the plum blossom on the fan for spring; grape pattern on the robe for late summer; and chrysanthemum design on the bench indicating autumn. Note also how the grapevine pattern in the painting’s mounting mimics the design of her kimono. The overall mood is one of intimacy, created by Hõryþ through the delicate rendering of the courtesan’s facial features and hands. In contrast to the other scrolls of beauties nearby, the artist here portrayed his subject with little background, allowing her grace and elegance to carry the picture. Size: Overall: 78 x 31.6 cm (30 11/16 x 12 7/16 in.) Medium: hanging scroll, ink and color on silk