Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night
- Date:
- 1932
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 27.2 × 39.2 cm
- Publisher:
A nocturnal scene demonstrating Yoshida's mastery of atmospheric color — among his most technically demanding subjects. Night views command a 20–40% premium over comparable daytime compositions across his entire output. Jizuri (artist-supervised) impressions are especially prized for these subjects, as the subtle inking required for moonlight and artificial light effects is highly sensitive to quality of impression.
A companion print to the daylight Afghan caravan subjects, this 1932 work renders the same procession under a full moon — camels and riders reduced to silhouettes against a luminous night sky, the desert floor silver and shadow. Yoshida's mastery of moonlit atmosphere, developed across many night scenes in Japan, transfers compellingly to the Central Asian desert: the same careful gradation of dark sky, the same selective use of reflected light, applied to a subject of romantic orientalist grandeur.
![Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)" by Kawase Hasui](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/d0960668-1e73-339a-b182-fb995a54bff0/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
1947
Color woodblock print; oban
March 1933
Color woodblock print; oban
1919
Color woodblock print
January 1938
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night was created by Hiroshi Yoshida (吉田博) in 1932.
Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night was published by Yoshida Studio (1932).
Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night depicts moonlight and night scenes.
Caravan from Afghanistan on a Moonlit Night measures 27.2 × 39.2 cm (Oban format).
