Young Woman Writing Calligraphy 1793

This woodblock print, created by Kubo Shunman in 1793, depicts a young woman in traditional Japanese clothing, seated on the floor and writing calligraphy on a piece of paper. The woman's posture and the elegant script suggest the meditative nature of the art form, while the brush pens and inkstone in the foreground highlight the tools of the trade. The piece exemplifies the "ukiyo-e" style, meaning "pictures of the floating world," that flourished during the Edo period (1603–1868) in Japan. The print is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.