Artwork Page for Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (center)

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Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (center)

c. 1796–97

Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川 歌麿

(Japanese, c. 1754–1806)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
Triptych: color woodblock print
Measurements
Sheet: 38.2 x 76.8 cm (15 1/16 x 30 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Jeptha H. Wade in honor of Emily V. Wade 1975.98.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

A sense of movement is conveyed by their sleeves fluttering in the breeze.

Description

Caught up in a frenzied pursuit of fireflies, one boy has waded into a stream after his quarry, while a younger one watches in anticipation as a young woman thrusts her fan into the air in the hope of capturing hers. In the center of the composition, a girl examines the insects trapped in her elegantly carved cage.
A vertically oriented woodblock print depicts three women with light skin tones beneath hanging willow branches. On the left, a woman raises a circular fan upward. In the center, a woman in a dark patterned kimono stands looking left. To the right, another woman peers into a small rectangular cage. Muted tones of tan, blue, and peach define their layered robes. Vertical Japanese calligraphy appears along the right edge.

Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (center)

c. 1796–97

Kitagawa Utamaro

(Japanese, c. 1754–1806)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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