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Junigatsu|The Twelfth Month: December

Katsukawa Shunchō

1788

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Ukiyo-e 18th Century Landscape Lantern

Dominant colour

Junigatsu|The Twelfth Month: December is a 1788 ink by Katsukawa Shunchō, a Romanticism work, depicting Lantern, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Katsukawa Shunchō
When & what style?: 1788 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows three people outside a building. Two women in long robes stand in the foreground—one holds a bundle, the other carries a small plant. Behind them, a man carries a large paper lantern. The background has a shelf with brushes and a half-open door. The women’s robes and the lantern’s design hint at a winter scene. The brushes on the shelf might be for calligraphy or painting. Look up lantern to see how these were used in daily life.

About the artist

Artist

Katsukawa Shunchō

Katsukawa Shunchō lived in Edo (now Tokyo) during the late 1700s, a time when floating-world prints—colorful scenes of theater, courtesans, and everyday life—were all the rage.

See the richer artist page