Artist: Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木春信, c. 1725–1770)
Signed: 春信画 (Harunobu ga), on the folding screen
Publisher: Not identified
Date: c. 1768
Media: Nishiki-e (multi-colored woodblock print), chūban, 200 x 280 mm
Interior scene with a couple on a red floor cover. A woman and a wakashu (若衆) — a youth distinguished by his hairstyle and androgynous features — are engaged in sexual intercourse in the missionary position, reclining on a red padded surface. The woman lies on her back, her green kimono open and legs bent in the air, exposing her lower body and revealing a red undergarment beneath. A padded sleeping robe (夜着, yogi) lies pushed aside. The wakashu wears a purple robe with a bamboo-under-snow motif (雪中竹, setchūchiku) and has a comb (櫛, kushi) tucked into his hair — a gesture suggestive of youth or playful intimacy.
Behind them stands a folding screen (屏風, byōbu) painted with reeds (葦) and egrets (鷺) along a shoreline. The artist’s signature 春信画 (Harunobu ga) is inscribed on the leftmost panel of the screen. A black lacquered pillow lies near the woman’s head.
Additional Information
| Collection | Erotica , Japanese prints and drawings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Fine art , Woodblock print |
| Period | 18 AD , Edo period [江戸時代] (1603–1868) , Mid-18th century |
| Country | Japan |
| Media/Technique | Woodblock print , Woodblock print (nishiki-e) |
| Size | Chuban , Horizontal chuban |
| Subject | 18th century , Erotica , Japan , Japanese woodblock prints , Love , Man , Sex , Sexual behavior and attitudes , Sexual life , Sexuality , Shunga , Wakashu , Woman |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1768 |
| Acquisition year | 2015 |
