The Kitchen
1795
Medium
Right-hand sheet of a triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
15 x 10 in. (38.1 x 25.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
JP2732
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the warm, bustling world of *The Kitchen*, the right-hand sheet of aptych woodblock print master ukiyo-e artist Kit Utamaro, created in 1795 during Japan's Edo period (16151868). This intimate scene captures women engaged in everyday domestic tasks amid pots, utensils, and steam, offering a vivid glimpse into the daily life of urban households, likely those of the rising merchant class in Edo (modern Tokyo). Utam, renowned for his bijin-ga portraits of beautiful women, here elevates ordinary moments with graceful poise and subtle emotion. Utamaro's genius shines in the woodblock tec...
About the Artist
Kitagawa Utamaro · 1753–1806
Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753-1806) was one of the most celebrated masters of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, revolutionizing the art of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) during Japan's Edo period. Born Kitagawa Ichitaro, his early life remains shrouded in mystery, with conflicting accounts placing his birth in Kyoto, Osaka, Yoshiwara in Edo (modern Tokyo), or Kawagoe in Musashi Province. Under the t...