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Benevolence, from The Five Virtues

五常の内　仁

1767

Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)
color woodblock print
Sheet: 27.6 x 20.4 cm (10 7/8 x 8 1/16 in.)
Bequest of Mrs. Madeleine Hamill in memory of Lawrence Hamill 1949.124
Location: not on view
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Description

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?"
Benevolence, from The Five Virtues

Benevolence, from The Five Virtues

1767

Suzuki Harunobu

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)

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