Beauty in Summer Breeze
18th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
40 3/4 x 12 1/2 in. (103.5 x 31.8 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914
Accession Number
14.76.70e
Tags
Art Historical Context
Torii Kiyonaga's *Beauty in Summer Breeze*, an exquisite 18th-century hanging from Japan's Edo period (16151868), captures the grace of a woman amidst a gentle summer wind. Rendered in vibrant ink and color on silk measuring 40 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches, this vertical format was designed for intimate display in private homes or temples, allowing viewers to unroll and savor its delicate details. Kiyonaga a leading figure in the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, mastered bijin-ga—portraits of elegant women—blending realism with idealized beauty. During the prosperous Edo era, such...
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...