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Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (left) by Kitagawa Utamaro — VisualArtsDB

Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (left)

Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (left)

Kitagawa Utamaro

1796–1797

Medium: Triptych: color woodblock print
Dimensions: Sheet: 38.2 x 76.8 cm (15 1/16 x 30 1/4 in.)
Genre: print
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art

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Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

About

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.

More by Kitagawa Utamaro

Poetry, from the illustrated book Flowers of the Four Seasons

Poetry, from the illustrated book Flowers of the Four Seasons

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1801

Hinazuru of the Chojiya, Whose Attendants Are Tsuruji and Tsuruno (Chojiya uchi Hinazuru, Tsuruji, Tsuruno), from the series "Array of Supreme Beauties of the Present Day (Toji zensei bijin-zoroe)"

Hinazuru of the Chojiya, Whose Attendants Are Tsuruji and Tsuruno (Chojiya uchi Hinazuru, Tsuruji, Tsuruno), from the series "Array of Supreme Beauties of the Present Day (Toji zensei bijin-zoroe)"

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1789

The Habit of Boisterousness (Sawagashiki kuse), from the series "Seven Bad Habits (Nakute nana kuse)"

The Habit of Boisterousness (Sawagashiki kuse), from the series "Seven Bad Habits (Nakute nana kuse)"

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1792

Couple in an Evening Shower, From the series Three Evening Pleasures of the Floating World

Couple in an Evening Shower, From the series Three Evening Pleasures of the Floating World

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1790

Half-length Portrait of Two Courtesans

Half-length Portrait of Two Courtesans

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1753

Woman Exhaling Smoke from a Pipe, from the series "Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy (Fujo ninso juppon)"

Woman Exhaling Smoke from a Pipe, from the series "Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy (Fujo ninso juppon)"

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1787

Lovers Parting in the Morning, from the series "Elegant Five-needled Pine (Furyu goyo no matsu)"

Lovers Parting in the Morning, from the series "Elegant Five-needled Pine (Furyu goyo no matsu)"

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1792

An Imperial Carriage

An Imperial Carriage

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1796

Matsumoto Koshiro IV and Nakayama Tomisaburo, the left hand sheet of a triptych entitled “Six Actors Likened to the Immortal Poets" ("Yakusha Rokkasen")

Matsumoto Koshiro IV and Nakayama Tomisaburo, the left hand sheet of a triptych entitled “Six Actors Likened to the Immortal Poets" ("Yakusha Rokkasen")

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1779

Ohatsu and Tokubei, from the series "Fashionable Patterns in Utamaro Style (Ryuko moyo Utamaro-gata)"

Ohatsu and Tokubei, from the series "Fashionable Patterns in Utamaro Style (Ryuko moyo Utamaro-gata)"

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1793

Three Niwaka Performers, Chasenuri, Kurokiri, and Saimon (Tea-whisk Seller, Firewood Seller, Shrine Festival Perfomer), from the “Geisha of the Yoshiwara Niwaka Festival” (Seiro Niwaka Onna Geisha)

Three Niwaka Performers, Chasenuri, Kurokiri, and Saimon (Tea-whisk Seller, Firewood Seller, Shrine Festival Perfomer), from the “Geisha of the Yoshiwara Niwaka Festival” (Seiro Niwaka Onna Geisha)

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1784

The Niwaka Performers

The Niwaka Performers

Kitagawa Utamaro, 1785