First Meeting (Miai), from the series "Twelve Stages of Matrimony (Konrei juni shiki)"
c. 1775
Medium
Color woodblock print; koban
Dimensions
21.7 × 15.7 cm (8 9/16 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22511
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of 18th-century Japan, Torii Kiyonaga's *First Meeting (Miai from the series *Twelve Stages of MatrimonyKonrei juni shiki captures a pivotal moment in traditional courtship. Created around 1775 during the Edo period, this color woodblock print depicts the *miai*—the arranged first encounter between a prospective bride and groom, chaperoned by family members. Kiyonaga, a master of the uki-e ("pictures of the floating world") and the Torii school, excelled in bijin-ga, elegant portrayals of beautiful women, blending grace with subtle humor to chronicle the joys and absurditi...
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...