Queen of the Night
- Medium:
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Victoria and Albert Museum
Description
"Queen of the Night" — the phrase evokes either the white night-blooming cactus flower (Selenicereus grandiflorus) famous for its single night of blooming, or the legendary aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute. Whether this print depicts the remarkable flower or uses the musical reference as a metaphor for a nocturnal landscape, it belongs to Urushibara's works that emphasize atmosphere and mystery over topographical description. The darkness and drama implicit in the title suggest a more romantic, less documentary approach.
More Prints by Yoshijiro Urushibara
More Night Scenes Prints
Evening in East Africa
Woodblock print
Evening Shower at Teradomari (Teradomari no yau), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Teradomari no yau
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
![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)
Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)"
1947
Color woodblock print; oban
Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)"
March 1933
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Queen of the Night was created by Yoshijiro Urushibara (漆原木虫).
Queen of the Night depicts night scenes.