Skip to main content

This exhibition is no longer on view. See what's on at SAM.

Noble Splendor: Art of Japanese Aristocrats

Jul 28 2018–Mar 3 2019

Seattle Art Museum

As the primary patrons of the arts in premodern Japan, aristocrats—both the imperial court nobility and the military elite—significantly shaped their country’s art history. A wealth of fine materials that were used in daily life give a sense of the noble class’s lifestyle. Showcased in this gallery are paintings that illustrate the aristocrats’ activities, ceramics commissioned by feudal lords for personal use or as gifts, and masterfully produced metalwork crafted with lavish materials and exquisite decorations.

Prince Shotoku, for example, is often credited with founding Buddhism in Japan, which generated a great deal of Buddhist art. On view are statues of the prince and portraits of Shinto deities, the indigenous gods of Japan, which were sometimes portrayed as manifestations of Buddhist deities.

During the Heian period (794–1185), literature blossomed under aristocratic patronage. Poems and novels—notably The Tale of Genji, written by a court lady in the 11th century—provided ample inspiration for paintings and the decorative arts, as the screens, hanging scroll, and lacquer writing box here demonstrate.


What’s on at Seattle Art Museum

Calder: In Motion, The Shirley Family Collection

Nov 8 2023–Oct 20 2024

Seattle Art Museum

Jacob Lawrence: American Storyteller

Jun 28 2024–Jan 5 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Diego Cibelli: Fiori dei Miei Habiti / La Montagne Enchantée

May 31 2024–May 10 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Remember the Rain

Aug 18 2023–Oct 14 2024

Seattle Art Museum

American Art: The Stories We Carry

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Yirrkala: Art from Australia’s Top End

May 10 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Impressionisms: The Global Nineteenth Century

Mar 27 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Chronicles of a Global East

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

SAM on Paper: Rembrandt’s Etchings

Mar 27 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Pacific Species

Dec 22 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Conscious Constructions

Apr 29 2011–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Art and Life Along the Northwest Coast

Nov 26 2014–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Deities & Demons: Supernatural In Japanese Art

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Lessons from the Institute of Empathy

Mar 31 2018–Oct 5 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Cosmic Beings in Mesoamerican and Andean Art

Nov 10 2018–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Porcelain Room

May 5 2007–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

John Grade: Middle Fork

Feb 10 2017–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Only Connect: The Art of Devotion

Apr 29 2011–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Bethany Collins: At Sea

Nov 14 2024–May 4 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei

Mar 12–Sep 7 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder

Nov 20 2024–Jun 1 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams

Oct 17 2024–Jan 19 2025

Seattle Art Museum