Two Girls Looking at a Monkey on a Leash
Original title: Two Girls Looking at a Monkey on a Leash
kurzbeschreibung
Suzuki Harunobu’s print 'Two Girls Watching a Monkey on a Leash' centers on two women in kimonos whose attention is fixed on a leashed monkey. The undated work measures 26 × 19.8 cm and is a color woodblock print in ink and color on paper. The view combines an intimate interior with glimpses into neighboring rooms.
Description
Kneeling on the floor are two women: the left figure wears a brown kimono with a floral pattern and her hair up, the right a red kimono with an elaborate design and similarly styled hair. Their gaze is directed at a monkey that sits on the right on a leash and stretches upward. A wooden door behind the women opens onto grass and flowers outside, while another doorway reveals a room with a bookshelf. Warm browns, reds, and greens dominate the color scheme; light falls from the front and accents the contours.
Context
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725–1770) was a Japanese woodblock artist active in the Edo period and is counted among the pioneers of multicolor woodblock printing (nishiki-e). This print was likely made in the 1760s, a phase in which Harunobu popularized everyday scenes with women. The motif refers to the urban pleasure quarters of Edo, where exotic animals such as monkeys were kept as curiosities. An exact date is uncertain because the print bears no colophon.
Impact
The print feels calm and intimate thanks to the balanced arrangement of the figures and the central eye contact with the monkey. Warm colors and precise linework give it a decorative elegance characteristic of Harunobu’s style. The views into adjacent rooms create spatial depth and lift the motif beyond a mere genre scene.
Technique
For printing, the design was cut into a woodblock and then transferred to paper with ink and colors. Harunobu used several blocks for the different colors, which allowed precise color tuning and fine details. Clear contours and flat color areas define the print and are typical of 18th-century Japanese color woodblock printing.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)