Untitled

Suzuki Harunobu

18th century · Woodblock print (hashira-e); ink and color on paper · Asian Art

This narrow vertical print depicts Kume, a flying immortal who is said to have once come across a beautiful woman and tumbled from the sky. Here, having just encountered her, Kume appears in the guise of a Chinese court official, probably Zhong Kui (Japanese: Shōki), the legendary queller of demons. He lowers a tiny demon holding an even smaller love letter down to the woman bathing in a stream below.

Artist

Suzuki Harunobu

Date

18th century

Medium

Woodblock print (hashira-e); ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929