Girl Playing with a Cat
c. 1769/70
Medium
Color woodblock print; hashira-e
Dimensions
61 × 11.5 cm (24 × 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77311
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu's *Girl Playing with a Cat* (c. 1769/70 is a delicate color woodblock print in rare hashira-e format—a tall, narrow design (61 × 11.5 cm) originally meant to hang on the pillars of Japanese homes. This intimate scene captures a young girl playfully interacting with a cat, embodying the everyday charm of Edo-period life. Harunobu, a master of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), full-color prints known as nishiki-e, or "brocade pictures," using woodblocks to layer vibrant hues with stunning precision. Created near the end of Harunobu's short career (1725–1770), this work...
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...