Artwork preview

“Butterflies”

Tosa Mitsuyoshi

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Six-panel folding screen with a gold background, featuring a scene of people on boats and buildings amidst clouds and trees, painted by Tosa Mitsuyoshi, titled "Butterflies". The screen is divided into six panels. The background is gold with a subtle texture. There are several boats with people on them. The boats are on water that is not clearly visible, implied by the presence of the boats. There are green hills and brown trees. Several large black butterflies are flying around. There are buildings on the boats and on land. The buildings have brown roofs and are surrounded by green. People are dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The overall style is traditional Japanese painting.

Artwork Details

Date
late 16th–early 17th century
Medium
Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
599 × 264 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette