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Preliminary Drawings of Demons

Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image is a sketch of various figures drawn on a piece of aged paper. A rectangular border around the sketch consists of a thin red line. The top section contains many overlapping sketches of demons. Most are in black ink, but a few are drawn in red ink. The bottom left section has two figures drawn in black ink. They are walking side-by-side and both appear to hold long spears. The bottom right section contains two sketches. The right sketch depicts two demons. One rides a horse and holds a spear. Another demon on foot appears to hold a spear as well. The left sketch depicts two demons; one appears to carry a large basket on their back. The background of the image appears to be aged paper with some darker splotches. A white border surrounds the image on the left and right sides.

Artwork Details

Date
late 19th century
Medium
Wash drawing; ink on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
599 × 410 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette