Two Girls Catching Fireflies

first half of the 18th century

Not on view

A young girl accompanied by an older woman (in dark clothing) admires fireflies caught in a small cage. Framed by a tall tree and a meandering stream, the fireflies that rise from the bushes and the two willowy women capture a sense of evening cool. The painter of this elegant nocturnal scene belonged to the Kawamata school of ukiyo-e painting, which developed delicate, doll-like figures of youthful women, the type that was perfected by Harunobu in the second half of the eighteenth century.

Artwork Details

Title: Two Girls Catching Fireflies
Artist: Kawamata Tsunemasa (active 1716–48)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: first half of the 18th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions: 33 3/4 x 10 5/8 in. (85.7 x 27 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Object Number: 36.100.87
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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