Madame Tang (To Fujin), from the series "Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety in China (Morokoshi nijushiko)"
c. 1848/50
Medium
Color woodblock print; chuban
Dimensions
25.1 × 18.1 cm (9 7/8 × 7 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149894
Art Historical Context
**Madame Tang (To Fujin)**, from Utagawa Kuniyoshi series *Twenty-four Par of Filial Piety in China (Morokoshi nijushiko)*, c. 1848/50, a poignant moment of devotion in this color woodblock print (chuban format, 25.1 × 18.1 cm). Kuniyoshi, a master the ukiyo-e from the Utagawa school was renowned for his dynamic warrior prints and historical scenes, but here he turns to moral tales. The image depicts Madame Tang, a legendary figure from Chinese lore, embodying extreme filial piety by caring for her ailing mother-in-law in a humble domestic setting. This series draws from a classic Chinese tex...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...