Lovers Sharing an Umbrella

Catalog note / 解説

Suzuki Harunobu was an ukiyo-e artist of the mid-Edo period (mid-18th century). He contributed to the development of nishiki-e prints (multi-woodblock full-color prints). Harunobu enjoyed patronage from Edo's cultural elite, and his art often depicted scenes from classics in the contemporary fashion demonstrating his client's high tastes. For example, Harunobu was hired as an artist for the production of privately commissioned New Year's calendars by Ökubo Jinshiro Tadanobu (Kyosen), a high-ranking samurai. In the Edo period, cultural gatherings were held to create haiku poems. During New Year's celebrations, these poetry circles often exchanged hand-made pictorial calendars that contained…