Beauty Breaking an Ume Branch, by Suzuki Harunobu

Beauty Breaking an Ume Branch




A naughty girl takes off her zori (Japanese sandals) and sits on the back of her maid, trying to fold the white plum tree growing over the wall with her hand. Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770) made this piece by creating a unique vertical arrangement instead of the usual horizontal arrangement. The pattern of the mud walls lined up regularly and the streamlines of the two Kimonos match beautifully on the screen. The use of colors and the scenery are bright, expressing the freshness of early spring in Japan.

Title: Beauty Breaking an Ume Branch

Author: Suzuki Harunobu

Year: About 1767-68

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