Artwork
鈴木春信画 夜の梅|Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night
鈴木春信画 夜の梅|Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Suzuki Harunobu. It dates from 1766 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1766, this woodblock print by Suzuki Harunobu portrays a woman in a light‑coloured kimono standing beneath a plum tree at night. She holds a paper lantern that illuminates the delicate blossoms, while the background consists of a muted gray that suggests a night sky. The scene captures a quiet, intimate moment in a domestic setting.
Subject & Meaning
The image combines a beautiful young woman, a common motif for elegance, with the plum tree, a symbol of resilience and early spring in Japanese culture. The lantern’s glow highlights the fleeting beauty of the blossoms, evoking themes of transience and the subtle pleasures found in everyday life.
Technique & Style
Harunobu employed the nishiki-e method, an early full‑colour woodblock technique, and enhanced the composition with karazuri embossing that raises the plum petals from the paper surface. The raised texture mimics the softness of fabric, while the limited palette and delicate line work emphasize the serene atmosphere.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to the late Edo period, a time when colour woodblock printing was emerging as a popular medium for mass‑produced art. It is attributed to Harunobu, a leading figure in the development of nishiki-e, and reflects the artist’s experimentation with new printing technologies.
Context
Produced within the broader ukiyo‑e tradition, the work illustrates the “floating world” aesthetic that celebrated urban leisure and refined beauty. Its focus on a solitary, contemplative scene aligns with contemporary tastes for intimate genre images that appealed to a growing merchant class.
Artist & collection
