Art Resource - ART211444

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'Hunting for insects', Japan, Edo period, c1768. A pair of lovers hunt for insects, probably fireflies or chirping crickets, on an early autumn night. A small cage stands ready on the ground while the young man searches through a plant of bush clover. He turns for a moment to exchange an intimate glance with the woman who wears an elegant kimono with a pattern of flowering morning glory. The black background must have been printed several times to produce the soft velvety depth against which the two figures and lantern stand out to such effect. Suzuki Harunobu was one of the first Ukiyo-e artists to develop techniques of full-colour printing from around 1765. He is already using the medium with great sophistication and delicacy in this print. He often echoes the courtly romance of the Heian period in his works, and here we may have a reference to a scene of insect-hunting from the "Genji monogatari" ('The Tale of Genji').
JA, 1945.11-1.08

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART211444

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 1228px × 1600px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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