Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Snake and Green Lizard

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: ¥ 6,000$ 46.00£ 34.25€ 39.25 [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 snake is hiding behind a cluster of broad green leaves, while a green lizard makes its way to the right, crawling over the ground. The delicate shimmer of mica on the reptiles’ scales adds a subtle sparkle to the texture of the composition.

The accompanying kyoka on the right reads:

The letter being sent is like a coiled snake and my passion is as long as the snake.

Jealousy is almost the same as a green lizard that crawls on the rotten leaves.

This verse playfully uses the reptiles as metaphors for human passions and emotional complexities of love such as desire and jealousy.

Browse thumbnail pages of various selections from the catalogue ...

Mokuhankan Publications:
general (107)   kacho-e (27)   landscape (57)   bijin-ga (19)   contemporary (19)   senshafuda (2)   yakusha-e (4)   HangaClub (71)   ebook (6)   miscellaneous (4)   8 Cats (4)   supplies (6)   [ Also see our Annual Gift Page ]

Partner Shops:
Kawase Hasui prints (7)   Yoshida family prints (30)   Doi Hanga prints (14)   Miyakodori prints (12)   Numabe Mokuhan prints (2)   Guest items (20)  

Mokuhankan Flea Market   (our 'antique' prints):
(All items)  general (48)   kacho-e (25)   yakusha-e (29)   landscape (124)   bijin-ga (50)   nihonga (5)   sosaku (4)   kuchi-e (0)   contemporary (8)   set (38)   books (4)    [ List of Recently sold items ]  [ Flea Market Matsuri ]