Item from the Mokuhankan Flea Market

Red Dragonfly and Locust

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$ 88.00£ 66.00€ 75.50 [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 red dragonfly rests delicately on a bamboo trellis, while to the right, a locust crawls up another branch of the structure. The cluster of flowers on the right adds a vibrant touch of color to the overall composition. The delicate shimmer of mica on the insects’ wings adds a subtle sparkle to the texture of the composition.

The accompanying kyoka on the left reads:

Burning with a silent unbearable love, withering like the twiggy dragonfly.

When I pulled a dewy weed by the pond, only an alarmed locust jumped out.

This verse playfully uses the insects as metaphors for quiet longing and unexpected emotional reactions.

There is a small dent next to the poem.

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