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Dragonfly and lotus leaves, from a collaborative album of 11 pages

Japanese

Artwork Details

Dragonfly and lotus leaves, from a collaborative album of 11 pages
circa 1923
Japanese
album leaf, ink and light color on paper
10 5/8 in x 14 1/16 in (27 cm x 35.8 cm);10 5/8 in x 7 1/16 in x 11/16 in (27 cm x 18 cm x 1.8 cm)
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. J. Robert Willson
1982/2.7.2

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Description

Subject Matter:

From a sketching album of 11 pages, this page depicts a dragonfly and a water plant. The dragonfly is a popular motif used in Japanese art and literature. Because of the commonality of dragonflies in Japan, they can symbolize many things from courage and strength to happiness. Another component of this painting is the lotus leaves. While the leaves themselves do not hold much meaning, the flowers are rich in symbolism. The lack of flowers shows the season in which this was painted and the rough-draft nature of this sketch. 

Physical Description:

Painted in black, blue, brown, red, and brown pigments, the painting depicts a natural scene of a dragonfly and lotus leaves. The lotus leaves are towards the bottom third of the page and reach up with branches toward the dragonfly located in the upper third slightly right from the center. To the right is a four-lined vertical inscription. 

Usage Rights:

If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.