Artwork preview

Shells under Water

Kitagawa Utamaro

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image shows an open book with Japanese writing on it. The left and right pages are visible, with a thin vertical line down the middle where the pages meet. The pages are a light-brown color. The top half of both pages contains black Japanese text written in a calligraphic style. The bottom half of the pages contains simple drawings of seashells and a large gray rock. The drawings are in shades of gray, black, and reddish-brown. The background behind the book is white.

Artwork Details

Date
1790
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
598 × 384 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette