Portrait of a Woman in Large Circle with Landscape Below
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
9 13/16 x 13 1/16 in. (24.9 x 33.2 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, Gift of Mrs. J. Watson Webb, 1930
Accession Number
JP2392
Tags
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokus, one of Japan's most celebrated ukiyo-e masters, created *Portrait of a Woman in Circle with Landscape Below* during the Edo period (5–1868), a time when woodblock prints flourished as affordable art for the masses. This intimate work, measuring just under 10 by 13 inches, exemplifies Hokusai's innovative spirit. Produced through the collaborative ukiyo-e process—involving artists, carvers, printers and publishers—it uses vibrant inks and colors on paper to capture the "floating world" of everyday beauty, blending portraiture with landscape in a single composition. The striki...
About the Artist
Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...