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Scenes from the Tale of Genji
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Scenes from the Tale of Genji

1700s · Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, gold and gilding on paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Folding screens served as temporary dividers in traditional Japanese open-plan architectural spaces. This screen was inspired by Japan’s most celebrated work of literature, the Tale of Genji , written by Murasaki Shikibu, an attendant to the empress in the early 11th-century imperial court. The novel follows the love life of the “Shining Prince” Genji and delves into the psychological states of his many companions.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineScenes from the Tale of Genji, 1700s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, gold and gilding on paper; 123.8 x 289.6 cm (48 3/4 x 114 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Ross W. Comer, 2024.160
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