Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Paper Wasp and Hairy Caterpillar

Size: 26.5cm by 38.0cm (10.43 in by 14.96 in) | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [L] ?

Designer: Kitagawa Utamaro

Era: Early Showa | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: ¥ 12,000$ 94.00£ 69.25€ 80.00 [Item has been sold]

Description: The print is from Utamaro's series Pictures of Insects (Ehon Mushi Erami); a collection of 15 designs of insects and other garden creatures that pairs various insects with humorous or suggestive poems (kyoka) reflecting on human behavior. The poems were written by Ishikawa Masamochi.

In this scene, a hairy caterpillar makes its way along the branch of a flowering plant, while several wasps or hornets hover on the left side of the composition.

The accompanying kyoka on the left reads: The taste of a maiden is like honey that is nimbly taken from a hornet’s nest. Watch out, like love the caterpillar may sting if it is creeping on you.

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