The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Beauty with Fireflies
early 1800s
after Kubo Shunman
(Japanese, 1757–1820)
Mounted: 181.5 x 45.6 cm (71 7/16 x 17 15/16 in.); Painting: 95.6 x 33.2 cm (37 5/8 x 13 1/16 in.)
Gift of the Kelvin Smith Family 2015.85
Location: not on view
Description
A young woman has passed beneath an aged willow tree as she strolls along a riverbank carrying a cage full of fireflies. The painting is the work of Kubo Shunman, best known as a composer of witty verses in 31-syllables (kyōka) and designer of limited edition prints called surimono. Shunman was active during the mature era of ukiyo-e production, and his more formal paintings, such as this one, most often took as their subjects beautiful Chinese or Japanese women. Here, he commemorates one of summer's most delightful evening pastimes, the observation of the flickering lights of the firefly. The woman is presented in a ubiquitous summer setting, a refreshingly cool and breezy riverbank in earshot of rustling willow leaves.- 2015-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2015-present
- {{cite web|title=Beauty with Fireflies|url=false|author=Kubo Shunman|year=early 1800s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2015.85