A Box at the Kabuki Theater, from the illustrated book "Guide to the Actors' Dressing Rooms (Yakusha gakuya tsu)"
Kitagawa Utamaro
spring, 1799
Medium
Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from book
Dimensions
Left sheet: 19.5 × 24.1 cm (7 11/16 × 9 1/2 in.); Right sheet: 16.4 × 22.4 cm (6 1/2 × 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
57102
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro · 1753–1806
Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753-1806) was one of the most celebrated masters of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, revolutionizing the art of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) during Japan's Edo period. Born Kitagawa Ichitaro, his early life remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts placing his birth in Kyoto, Osaka, Yoshiwara in Edo (modern Tokyo), or Kawagoe in Musashi Province. Under the t...