Boating Party with Children Swimming
late 18th century
Medium
Diptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 13 7/16 in. (34.1 cm); W. 17 5/8 in. (44.8 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
JP1684
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step aboard a lively summer scene from Japan's Edo period with Kitagawa Utamaro's *Boating Party with Children* (late 18th century This charming diptych—two woodblock prints designed to join seamlessly—captures women and children reveling in a boat amid splashing swimmers. Utamaro, a master ofkiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), specialized in bijin-ga, elegant portrayals of beautiful women, but here he infuses everyday leisure with poetic joy, highlighting the era's fascination with seasonal pleasures like river outings. Crafted in ink and color on paper, the prints showcase ukiyo-e's ...
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...