Rats and Gourd

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The painting depicts two small rodents standing on and in a large gourd leaf and flowers and foliage. The rodents are rendered in shades of gray and white. The one on the gourd leaf faces forward and looks to the right with its paws on the leaf. The second rodent is inside the gourd; it faces forward and looks to the right. The background contains grasses, leaves, and a flower vine with two white flowers; all are drawn in shades of gray. A bird with dark and white feathers flies above the flowers, looking to the right. The painting has a thin gold border around the edge. Japanese characters appear on the left side. A small red seal appears on the bottom left. The painting is titled "Rats and Gourd" and was created by Kawanabe Kyōsai.