Osen bij de Kagiya theekraam

About this artwork

De serveerster Osen, staand, met zwart schaaltje in haar hand, naast een schaal met rijstballetjes, waarachter een theeketel en een kastje met kopjes.

Art Historical Context

This delicate color woodblock print from the Harunobu school depicts the celebrated waitress Osen standing gracefully beside the Kagiya tea stall. She holds a black lacquered bowl in one hand, with a tray of rice dumplings, a steaming kettle, and a small cabinet cups arranged nearby. Created between 1768 and 1772, the narrow vertical format (304 × 138 mm) was typical of the period’s pillar prints, designed to adorn the wooden posts of Japanese homes. Suzuki Harunobu and his followers revolutionized printmaking by developing full-color nishiki-e techniques, using multiple carved blocks to achi...