Description
Mandarin ducks occupy a river landscape beneath a tree across the top of Kitagawa Utamaro II’s illustrated program. Dense printed text fills the lower half, bringing natural imagery and writing into one sheet. The landscape gives the jōruri performance program an engaging visual presence, accompanying an occasion of musical storytelling with another form of attention.
Made around 1807, the surimono uses ink and color on paper. Its attribution belongs to Utamaro II rather than the earlier artist of the same name. The program’s function gives the landscape a context beyond simple illustration, allowing it to accompany an event while retaining its own visual interest. The work joins seasonal life to a cultured occasion, making the print a point of contact between the natural world and the pleasures of performance.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.
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