Boating Episode [right of the pair Episodes from the Butterflies Chapter of the Tale of Genji]

This screen, along with its mate, illustrates an episode from “Butterflies, ” chapter 24 of The Tale of Genji, in which Genji organizes springtime festivities in the garden of Murasaki, his favorite consort. This screen shows the noblewomen with their multilayered robes enjoying the garden from exotic pleasure boats with phoenix and dragonhead prows. The other screen pictures the following morning, when Murasaki dresses several of her young attendants as birds and butterflies and has them dance for the empress.