藤棚下の遊女たち|Courtesans Beneath a Wisteria Arbor (Fuji dana shita no yūjo tachi)
ca. 1795
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 1/8 in. (38.4 cm); W. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 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
JP1658
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step beneath the cascading wisteria in Kitagawa Utamaro's *Courtesans Beneath aisteria Arbor* (. 1795), a captivating woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868). Utamaro, a master ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world"—specialized in bijin-ga, intimate portraits of beautiful women. Here, elegant courtesans from the Yoshiwara pleasure district lounge under a leafy arbor, wielding fans amid vibrant purple flowers, embodying the era's fascination with transient pleasures, fashion, and feminine allure. This ink and color print on paper, measuring about 15 by 11 inches, showcases Ut...
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...