A Day in Winter; Two Ladies and a Child in a Garden
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 10 5/16 in. (26.2 cm); W. 7 9/16 in. (19.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP1717
Tags
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815), a leading figure in Japan's Edo-period ukiyo-e tradition, masterfully captures the elegance of everyday life in *A Day in Winter; Ladies and a Child in Garden*. This intimate woodblock print, from late 18th century depicts two graceful women and a young boy a serene winter garden, blending the chill of the season with subtle warmth through layered kimonos and poised figures. Kiyonaga, of the Torii school renowned for bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), exemplifies the "floating world" aesthetic—ephemeral pleasures amid urban sophistication in Edo (modern Tokyo). ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...