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An octopus creature is wrapped around a large white spere floating on the water.

The octopus clings to the white ribbed Nautilus shell in three-quarter view, looking towards left and down, its head is partially rendered with dark speckled dots that give it roundness. The calm water is depicted in greys and white wavey lines, the abstract horizon and sky is painted in the top quarter. Vertical lines of calligraphy mark across the top half of the print from the left across the horizon, with a red seal in lower left.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1933.4.2067
Title
Paper Nautilus
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print, surimono
Date
c. 1820s
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, Japan
Period
Edo period, 1615-1868
Culture
Japanese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/207252

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink, color, and metallic pigments on paper
Dimensions
H. 21 x W. 18.1 cm (8 1/4 x 7 1/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: [publisher's seal; cursive poem]

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Friends of Arthur B. Duel
Accession Year
1933
Object Number
1933.4.2067
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu