喜多川歌麿画 蚊帳の中の文読み美人|Woman Reading a Letter under a Mosquito Net
ca. 1798
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 in. (38.1 cm); W. 10 in. (25.4 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, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP1659
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate glow of a summer evening, Kitagawa Utaro's *Woman Reading a Letter under a Net* (ca. 1798) captures a moment of quiet anticipation. This woodblock print Japan's Edo period (16151868) depicts a woman, her face softly illuminated, absorbed in a letter while reclining beneath a sheer mosquito net. Utamaro, a master of *bijin-ga* ( of beautiful women) within the ukiyo-e tradition—"pictures of the floating worldexcelled at portraying courtesans and everyday beauties with graceful, elongated forms and exquisite attention to fabrics and expressions. Utamaro's innovative use of color ...
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...