A Noble Young Lady, from the series A Bright Mirror of Feminine Manners (Onna fuzoku masukagami)
c. 1790
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.9 × 19.1 cm (10 1/4 × 7 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22657
Art Historical Context
In the late Edo period, Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815), a leading master of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, created *A Noble Young Lady* around 1790 as part of his series *A Bright Mirror Feminine Manners*Onna fuzokuagami). This chuban-sized color woodblock print (25.9 × 19.1 cm) captures the refined elegance of a highborn woman, embodying the ideal of feminine grace and poise that captivated audiences in urban Japan. Kiyonaga's work reflects the flourishing ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating world"—which celebrated beauty, fashion, and daily life amid Japan's vibrant merchant culture. Kiyonag...
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...