Cleveland Museum of Art

Catching Fireflies Beneath a Willow Tree (center)

Kitagawa Utamaro

Date

c. 1796–97

Medium

Triptych: color woodblock print

Culture

Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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

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