The Waitress Osen of the Kagiya Teahouse Holding a Fan
c. 1768/69
Medium
Color woodblock print; hashira-e
Dimensions
64.3 × 12.1 cm (25 5/16 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77313
Art Historical Context
Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770), a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world" that captured the vibrant pleasures of Edo-period Japan (modern Tokyo)—created this enchanting color woodblock print around 1768–69. Titled *The Waitress Osen the Kagiya Teahouse Holding a Fan*, it the hashira-e format: a tall, narrow pillar print (64.3 × 12.1 cm) designed hang gracefully on wooden posts in homes or teahouses. Harunobu pioneered full-color printing techniques, layering delicate hues through intricate woodblocks to achieve a luminous, almost painterly effect unseen before his time. The gracef...
About the Artist
Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770
Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...