Flautist from The Cave Door of Spring

Description

These elegant surimono prints come from a set of five images inspired by the legend of the Shinto Supreme Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. She was once so offended by her brother that she retreated into a cave, leaving the earth in darkness. Several attempts to lure her out with cocks crowing, music-making, and a goddess dancing failed, but a mirror hung from a nearby tree made Amaterasu curious, bringing her to the entrance of the cave. A stone was quickly placed at the entrance to block her way back into the cave, and light was restored to the world. Each print is set against a blue evening sky with embossed clouds enriched with gold, silver, and copper.

Provenance

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Flautist from The Cave Door of Spring

Totoya Hokkei

1825

Accession Number

1940.990.5

Medium

fifth from a pentaptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 18.8 x 21.4 cm (7 3/8 x 8 7/16 in.)

Classification

Print

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of James Parmelee