Foreigners Enjoying a Banquet
2nd month, 1862
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image (a): 14 x 9 5/8 in. (35.6 x 24.4 cm) Image (b): 17 5/8 x 9 3/4 in. (44.8 x 24.8 cm) Image (c): 13 7/8 x 9 5/8 in. (35.2 x 24.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Accession Number
2007.49.174a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Foreigners Enjoying a Banquet is a vibrant triptych woodblock by Utagawa Yoshazu, created in the 2nd month of 1862 during Japan's late Edo period (1615–8). This work, composed of three sheets in ink and color on paper, captures a lively interior scene of Westerners—likely European or American traders—at a banquet, surrounded by Japanese women and men. Yoshikazu, a member of the renowned Utagawa school ofkiyo-e artists, specialized in dynamic depictions of contemporary life, blending sharp observation with bold colors and intricate patterns typical of the genre. The print reflects Japan's tu...
About the Artist
Utagawa Yoshikazu
Utagawa Yoshikazu (active circa 1850–1870) was a Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print artist who came of age during one of the most dynamic periods in Japanese history — the twilight of the Edo period and the dawning of the Meiji era. Born and active in Edo (present-day Tokyo), he trained under the celebrated master Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the towering figures of the Utagawa school renowned for his ...