Parody of the Tale of Young Man Lu: Courtesan Dreaming

Suzuki Harunobu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Harunobu's courtesan—most likely dreaming of the moment when she leaves her childhood home to begin a happy marriage—will shortly waken to be confronted once again with the reality surrounding her. To distinguish the corporeal from the noncorporeal, Harunobu renders the characters inside the dream bubble in gray and leaves the rest of the background unprinted.

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