Woodblock Print by Utagawa Yoshitora: Dragon & Firefly, Framed

A blue-faced actor holds a fan over a small cage while fireflies drift through the night.

Dragon & Firefly is a framed woodblock print by Utagawa Yoshitora (active 1850-1880), from Japan, dated 1862. It is ink on paper. Firefly-catching on summer evenings was a favorite pastime in Edo Japan and a common subject in prints, often paired with kabuki actors. Here a man with a shaved forehead and a stern look leans over a small insect cage, holding an open fan painted with a bird. His dark robe is patterned with a swirling dragon. Fireflies glow against the deep blue night, among white flowers and grasses. It is 21 inches wide, 1.75 deep and 26 high.

A summer evening, caught with considerable style.