Suzuki Harunobu
Japanese, 1724–1770
Benevolence, from The Five Virtues, 1767
Color woodblock print
27.6 × 20.4 cm (10 ¾ × 8 in.)
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Bequest of Mrs. Madeleine Hamill in memory of Lawrence Hamill
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?"
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