Two Girls Catching Fireflies

Kawamata Tsunemasa

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A young girl accompanied by an older woman (in dark clothing) admires fireflies caught in a small cage. Framed by a tall tree and a meandering stream, the fireflies that rise from the bushes and the two willowy women capture a sense of evening cool. The painter of this elegant nocturnal scene belonged to the Kawamata school of ukiyo-e painting, which developed delicate, doll-like figures of youthful women, the type that was perfected by Harunobu in the second half of the eighteenth century.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art