Lovers with a Bird Cage

Object Details

• Artist

  Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信 (1724-1770)

• Label

  A young woman presents a caged bird to her suitor, who slips a love letter into her hand. The elegant cusped form of the window frame replicates a Chinese architectural style that became a luxurious element of some upper-class Japanese residences. Through the window with its paper-covered shoji drawn aside, a blossoming plum branch suggests that the season is the New Year, which occurs during the lunar calendar in late January or early February. Visits would have been customary during this time of year, and the young couple has taken advantage of a rare opportunity to meet. Harunobu's print designs are beautifully composed and exploit the aesthetic potential of full-color printing, which was first seen in Japanese prints in 1765.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  The Anne van Biema Collection

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Suzuki, Harunobu

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Lovers, Art, Animals, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Anne van Biema collection, Birds, Ukiyo-e, Chuban

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints