Artwork preview

Recovering the Stolen Jewel from the Palace of the Dragon King

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image depicts a large dragon and people on waves. The dragon is green with red and white stripes on its body. The dragon has a long neck and tail, and appears to have five claws. The dragon's body curves and twists across the top half of the image. There are several people in the water, some on surfboards and some swimming. The people are wearing traditional Japanese clothing. The waves are blue and white. The background is dark gray-blue. There are Japanese characters in the top right and bottom left corners. The image is framed by a light-colored border. The artwork style is colorful with bold lines. The composition is busy with many visual elements. The image is a triptych, with three panels side by side.

Artwork Details

Date
1853
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
599 × 303 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette