Artwork

『画本虫撰』「虵」「とかけ」|Rat Snake (Hebi); Lizard or Skink (Tokage), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)

『画本虫撰』「虵」「とかけ」|Rat Snake (Hebi); Lizard or Skink (Tokage), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Utamaro. It dates from 1788 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

This woodblock-printed page, produced in 1788 by the Edo‑period artist Kitagawa Utamoro, forms part of the natural‑history volume *Ehon Mushi Erami* (Picture Book of Crawling Creatures). The sheet depicts two small reptiles—a coiled rat snake and a spotted lizard—set against a backdrop of stylised foliage. The work is preserved in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

The illustration presents a rat snake (Hebi) and a lizard or skink (Tokage) as examples of Japan’s lesser‑known fauna. By pairing the two creatures amid verdant leaves, the image conveys a didactic purpose, inviting viewers to compare the textures and forms of different crawling animals within a single natural scene.

Technique & Style

Executed with ink and colour on paper, the image employs the fine line work characteristic of ukiyo‑e woodblock printing. Delicate cross‑hatching renders the scales of the snake, while stippled brushstrokes suggest the lizard’s rough skin. The composition balances detailed rendering of the animals with a simplified, patterned vegetal background.

History & Provenance

The page was originally bound in the multi‑volume *Ehon Mushi Erami*, a popular illustrated encyclopedia of insects and small animals circulated in the late eighteenth century. After changing hands among private collectors, the sheet entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Asian art collection, where it remains on view as part of the museum’s ukiyo‑e holdings.

Context

Utamaro is best known for his portraits of courtesans, yet his involvement in natural‑history publications reflects the broader Edo‑period interest in cataloguing the natural world. The *Ehon Mushi Erami* series combined scientific observation with the aesthetic conventions of ukiyo‑e, making knowledge accessible to a literate urban audience.