『画本虫撰』 「虻」「芋虫」|Horsefly (abu); Green Caterpillar, imomushi, from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)
1788
ink
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
1788
ink
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dominant colour
『画本虫撰』 「虻」「芋虫」|Horsefly (abu); Green Caterpillar, imomushi, from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami) is a 1788 ink by Kitagawa Utamaro, a Romanticism work, depicting flower, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This image shows two simple but detailed drawings of plants and insects. On the left, a green leafy stem holds a small flower and a horsefly. The right side shows a large leaf with a caterpillar clinging to it. The colors are soft—mostly greens and browns—with a light background. The text beside the images is Japanese, likely explaining what each creature is. The artist focused on small, everyday things, making them look almost alive. If you like this style, look up Kitagawa Utamaro for more work.
