A cat watching butterflies

Catalog note / 解説

A cat stares intently at two butterflies in this charming Japanese print, which displays a number of interesting techniques. The cat's contours have been skilfully rendered in <i>katazuri</i>, or embossing. Most of the print has been executed in a technique known as <i>musenzuri</i>, whereby the usual black outlines are left out. Suzuki Harunobu was a printmaker and painter of the Edo period (1615–1868) and a seminal figure in the history of Japanese art. His most accomplished prints date to the last five years of his life and utilise new developments in the production of polychrome prints from multiple woodblocks. By carving registration marks (<i>kentô</i>) on the block and using them to…