Young Couple Under an Umbrella in the Snow
c. 1770
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
26.2 × 19.7 cm (10 1/4 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22017
Art Historical Context
Isoda Koryūsai's *Young Couple Under an Um in the Snow* (c. 1770) captures a tender moment of romance amid a wintry Japanese landscape. This color woodblock print, in the chuban format (a compact size of about 26.2 × 19.7 cm), exemplifies the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"— celebrated fleeting pleasures of urban life during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). Koryūsai, a of the genre, often depicted elegant courtesans and lovers, blending beauty with everyday scenes to appeal to a broad audience beyond the elite. Printed using intricate woodblock techniques, the artwork showca...