Woman Holding Up a Parasol
Original title: “Woman Holding Up a Parasol” from the series Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy (Fujo ninsō juppen: Higasa o sasu onna)
kurzbeschreibung
From Kitagawa Utamaro’s series Ten Classes of Female Physiognomy, the sheet titled Woman Holding a Parasol dates to around 1792–93. Unlike many contemporary portrayals of women, this color woodblock print on paper features a woman in traditional Japanese dress who carries both a parasol and a fan.
Description
A woman stands squarely in the middle, wearing a large pink hat and a kimono in purple and green whose pattern suggests a net. A large dark parasol, likely blue or black, is adorned with characters, and there is a fan in warm orange and yellow tones. Her face follows the “pencil-face” style, with her gaze turned to the left. Her posture is elegant and calm, and the colors are clear and high in contrast.
Context
In the 1790s, a golden age of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, Utamaro created this series. Ten Classes of Female Physiognomy ranks among his best-known works, in which he presented different types of women. Such series were popular with wealthy townspeople of the Edo period, who were interested in fashion and beauty.
Impact
The quiet pose and clear coloration give the image a balanced aesthetic. A strong visual accent arises from the contrast between the dark parasol and the bright colors of the kimono.
Technique
Executed as a woodblock print (nishiki-e) with ink and colors on paper, the sheet shows sharp contours and flat areas of color—typical of this technique, in which several printing blocks were used for the different colors.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)