Okita of the Naniwa-ya Tea-house
Original title: Okita of the Naniwa-ya Tea-house
kurzbeschreibung
In this colour woodblock print from the 1790s, Kitagawa Utamaro gives us Okita of the Naniwa-ya teahouse, a young woman in traditional dress offering a bowl on a tray. The sheet belongs to his well-known series of Edo beauties.
Description
Light entering from the left picks out the edges of the figure, and her gaze drifts slightly to one side as she stands upright, holding a tray with a bowl. A hair ornament with a feather sits in her hair; she wears a kimono patterned with flowers and black trousers set off by a red sash. A block of Chinese characters appears behind her.
Context
Japanese colour woodblock printing, ukiyo-e, flourished in the 1790s, the decade in which this sheet was made. The Naniwa-ya teahouse in Edo was a prestigious establishment whose waitresses were counted among the beauties of the day. Utamaro became famous for his portraits of women, known as bijin-ga.
Impact
Her calm gaze and upright bearing give her a dignified presence. Crisp lines and muted colours create an elegant mood. The floral decoration of the kimono plays against the plain ground, which steers the viewer's attention directly to the woman.
Technique
Printed in ink and colour on paper, this is a nishiki-e, a multicolour woodblock print. The technique, perfected in the Edo period, is recognisable in the delicate lines and the flat areas of colour. At roughly 36.4 x 24.1 cm, the sheet is in ōban format.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)