Double-page Illustration from Vol. 1 of "Picture Book of Spring Brocades (Ehon haru no nishiki)"
1771
Medium
Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from book
Dimensions
18 × 26.9 cm (7 1/16 × 10 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34721
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Double-page Illustration from Vol 1 of "Picture of Spring BrocadesEhon haru no nishiki)"* (1771) captures the delicate charm of Edo-period Japan through a vibrant color woodblock print. As a pioneering ukiyo artist, Harunobu printmaking in the 1760s by introducing full-color nishiki-e techniques, moving beyond earlier hand-colored or benizuri-e (rose-colored) prints. This double-page spread from his ehon—a luxurious "picture book" format—likely evokes the fleeting beauty of spring, blending poetic imagery with the "floating world" of urban pleasures, courtesans, and nature. ...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...