美人菱花集|A Flowery Mirror of Beautiful Women (Bijin ryōka shū) 美人菱花集
1831, summer sixth month (Tenpō 2)
Medium
Woodblock printed book; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Other: 9 × 6 1/2 in. (22.8 × 16.5 cm)
Classification
Illustrated Books
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Foundation Gift, 2013
Accession Number
2013.802
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant woodblock-printed book, *A Flowery Mirror of Beautiful Women* (*Bijin ryōka shū*), was created by artist Katsura Seiyō in the summer of 1831 during Japan’s Edo period. Published at a time when ukiyo-e imagery and popular literature flourished in urban centers like Edo (modern Tokyo), the volume celebrates the refined ideal of feminine beauty through a series of delicately colored illustrations paired with poetry. Its modest dimensions make it an intimate object meant for personal enjoyment rather than display. The medium—woodblock printing with ink and color on paper—allowed for ...