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Kitagawa Tsukimaro

Magnolias and Butterfly, 1830s

Now On View

Description

Maker

Title

Magnolias and Butterfly

Year

1830s

Medium

Polychrome woodblock print

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Techniques

Supports

Dimensions

Image: 19.2 x 33.7 cm (7 9/16 x 13 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscription at left and right.
White square label affixed verso, bottom right with an inscription in pencil: [1]/2159

Place

Japan; Tokyo

Type

Credit

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

Object Number

34.626

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Painterly Prints in Nineteenth-Century Japan

June 1 - September 23, 2007

This beautiful composition was executed by a teacher and his pupil. The teacher, Tsukimaro, signs his name here as “Kansetsu,” a name he used later in his life. The pupil, Yukimaro, signs himself just to the left of the butterfly as “Butterfly (cho) Yukimaro.” Although these artists both belonged to the Kitagawa lineage of the famed printmaker Utamaro (1753-1806) and Tsukimaro is described as Utamaro’s best pupil, their subject here differs markedly from the compositions of courtesans and genre subjects for which their master was so well known.

Note how the stalks of the magnolia tree are deftly rendered as if painted with a brush.

Asian Art Galleries

Illustrated collaboratively by two artists from the Kitagawa school, this painterly image of a butterfly and flowering magnolia branch invokes the traditions and practices of a group now referred to as the Chinese literati. These artists created primarily monochromatic images and considered painting a scholarly pursuit. They frequently collaborated, adding images or verses to each other’s work. Japanese artists aspiring to the lifestyles of the Chinese literati emulated the same aesthetics and practices. Although this is a print, it maintains the expressive calligraphic brushstrokes of a literati painting.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Magnolias and Butterfly with the accession number of 34.626. To request a higher resolution file, please submit an online request.