Butterfly (Chō); Dragonfly (Kagerō or Tonbo), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)
Original title: Butterfly (Chō); Dragonfly (Kagerō or Tonbo), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many single-sheet prints of the Edo period, this double-page spread from Kitagawa Utamaro's illustrated woodblock book Ehon mushi erami of 1788 offers an intimate nature panorama: two butterflies on pink blossoms on the left, a dragonfly on a plant on the right. Executed as a color woodblock print on paper, the sheet measures 26.7 x 18.4 cm.
Description
On the left page, two white-winged butterflies with black markings rest on lush pink flowers. The right page brings a brown and yellow dragonfly with black outlines into view, perched on a plant whose green leaves and pink blossoms show various stages of opening. Both pages are framed by a border; on the left, Japanese text accompanies the image. White, pink, green, and brown dominate the palette, and even lighting brings out the details.
Context
The book Ehon mushi erami appeared in 1788 during the late Edo period and is part of Utamaro's intensive observations of nature. As an example of the then-popular genre of ehon (illustrated books), it focuses on insects, plants, and other natural phenomena. Utamaro combined precise observation with a fine aesthetic sensibility.
Impact
Clear lines and a balanced layout give the sheet a calm harmony. Delicate blossoms and precisely drawn insects enter into a quiet dialogue that invites the viewer to look closely—a contemplative mood emerges.
Technique
Ink and color on paper, printed in the woodblock method typical of 18th-century Japanese printmaking. The interplay of multiple printing blocks with manual color application allowed for the fine lines and nuanced coloring.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)