Koetsu utaibon hyakuban
Koetsu utaibon hyakuban is a Japanese book of utaibon, illustrated song-text booklets, made in the early seventeenth century and held by the Smithsonian Libraries. The picture shows a pale embossed-looking butterfly in white against a tan ground, with a brown label at the left edge bearing a dark calligraphic mark. A designer might take from it the quiet tonal contrast of light relief on warm paper, and the economy of a single motif placed off-centre.
