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『画本虫撰』「蝶」「蜻蛉」|Butterfly (Chō); Dragonfly (Kagerō or Tonbo), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)

Kitagawa Utamaro

1788

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Romanticism Ukiyo-e 18th Century Still Life Butterfli Dragonfli Flower

Dominant colour

『画本虫撰』「蝶」「蜻蛉」|Butterfly (Chō); Dragonfly (Kagerō or Tonbo), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami) is a 1788 ink by Kitagawa Utamaro, a Romanticism work, depicting Butterfli, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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

About this work

This page shows two detailed scenes of insects near flowers. On the left, two butterflies rest on pink poppies with green leaves. On the right, a dragonfly clings to a tall plant with budding flowers, some still closed. The colors are soft—pinks, greens, and browns—with careful lines outlining each petal and wing. The artist used tiny strokes to create texture, especially on the dragonfly’s wings. The poppies look almost real, with delicate shading to show depth. The Japanese text along the left side adds a quiet, poetic touch. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build shadows with lines.