Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Butterfly and Dragonfly

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$ 96.00£ 70.00€ 82.00 [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, two butterflies fly gracefully around blooming pink peonies, while a dragonfly approaches from the right, hovering above a cluster of red and purple flowers. The delicate shimmer of mica on the butterflies’ wings adds a subtle sparkle to the texture of the composition.

The accompanying kyoka on the left reads: If only I were a butterfly,
I’d sip the honey from your lips.
Like the dragonfly—
no matter how you try to fly away,
I’ll always catch you.

This verse playfully uses the butterfly and dragonfly as metaphors for love’s pursuit.

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