-
Social Sharing
The Descending Geese of the Koto Bridge (Kotoji no Rakugan), from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei)
Not on view
Riddled with allusions, Suzuki Harunobu’s series Eight Parlor Views is part of a subgenre of ukiyo-e called mitate-e, often translated as “look and compare” pictures, most closely described in English as parody. Riffing off a well-known motif within Chinese art called the “Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang,” this series transforms imagery evocative of the original landscape subjects into interior scenes. In this print, two elegantly dressed prostitutes rendered in delicate flowing lines sit on either side of a koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument. The work’s title comes from the koto’s bridges, which support the strings and are visually reminiscent of a flock of geese descending over a sandbank. Eight Parlor Views also provides some of the earliest examples of nishiki-e, full-color prints.
- Artist
- Suzuki Harunobu
- Title
- The Descending Geese of the Koto Bridge (Kotoji no Rakugan), from the series Eight Parlor Views (Zashiki hakkei)
- Date
- 1766
- Object Type
- Medium
- Color woodblock print
- Dimensions
- Image: 281 x 212 mm (11 1/16 x 8 3/8 in.); Sheet: 282 x 212 mm (11 1/8 x 8 3/8 in.)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Endowment Fund
- Accession Number
- 1970.25.31