Blowing Soap Bubbles Under the Plum Blossom

Blowing Soap Bubbles Under the Plum Blossom

Suzuki Harunobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this print the device is again employed of a classical poem incorporated into a cloudlike formation at the top. The poem reads, freely: "I do not want my mind to be tainted by the smell and color of the plums, but the wind stealthily carries the mysterious scent and color into my sleeve." Under a plum blossom tree, a mother blows bubbles as her son watches with amusement. The use of the plum, a symbol of sexuality and eroticism, coupled with the mother's activity and the child's celebratory dancing, seems to suggest the act of procreation and the value of maternity.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.