Three Beauties Playing Musical Instruments
19th century
Medium
Matted; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
16 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (41.9 x 59.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.537
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Utagawa Kunoshi's *Three Beauties Playing Musical* (19th century) transports us to a realm of femininity and harmonious melody. This ink and color painting on silk depicts three elegant women gracefully engaged with traditional instruments, embodying the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") that celebrated everyday pleasures like beauty, music, and leisure. Kuniyoshi, a master of this woodblock print and painting style, was renowned for his dynamic compositions and imaginative flair, often blending realism with whimsical detail. Rend...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...