Sanjo Kantaro as a Young Woman Standing in a Wisteria Arbor
Torii Kiyonobu I (Japanese, 1664–1729)
c. early or mid 1730s
Medium
color woodblock print
Dimensions
29.8 × 15.2 cm
Classification
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1916.1128
Tags
male
About this artwork
This rare, hand-colored print incorporates a technique called urushi-e, literally "lacquer picture," in which the artist paints deer glue over areas of black pigment, producing a lustrous effect reminiscent of lacquer. Metal filings were sometimes sprinkled onto the pigment for decorative effect. Kiyonobu’s prints are characteristically hand-colored and outlined in black. Inspired by a family tradition of painters of Kabuki posters, Kiyonobu created prints mainly of actors and scenes from plays.