Paragons of Filial Piety (from a set of twenty-four)
Original title: Paragons of Filial Piety (from a set of twenty-four)
kurzbeschreibung
This mid-nineteenth-century colour woodblock by Utagawa Kuniyoshi pictures an elderly figure holding a child on their lap. The sheet belongs to a set of twenty-four prints honouring exemplary sons and daughters from Chinese history, who showed their parents exceptional respect.
Description
A seated elder in a dark blue robe patterned in red and yellow, with a traditional headdress, occupies a raised, decorated dais. Across their lap rests a child in white, holding a toy or implement. Patterned windows and a red curtain close off the space behind them, while a wave pattern along the lower edge suggests the ground. Strong blue, red, white and yellow carry the palette, and the layout holds a steady symmetry.
Context
The series of twenty-four models of filial piety draws on a classic collection of tales that circulated widely across East Asia. Kuniyoshi produced many woodblock series on historical and moral subjects, often with humorous or dramatic touches. This small-format sheet, roughly 15 by 10 cm, appeared at a time when Japanese prints were increasingly made as collectibles for a broad public.
Impact
Crisp outlines and bright, high-contrast colour give the image an immediate presence. The calm, symmetrical placing of the figures lends the scene its dignity and draws the eye to the close bond between old and young.
Technique
Ink and colour were printed onto paper from woodblocks. Precise black contour lines and flat areas of colour define the picture, in keeping with nineteenth-century Japanese colour woodblock printing.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)