← Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Print (19th century, Met-Objekt 4684)

Original title: Print

Artist

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Date

19th century

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

Image: 13 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (34.9 × 24.1 cm)

Credit line

Gift of the Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914

kurzbeschreibung

A nineteenth-century sheet by Utagawa Kuniyoshi showing a figure in traditional Japanese dress holding a bowl or cup in one hand. Executed in ink and colour on paper during the Edo period.

Description

Standing upright in the foreground, the figure turns toward the viewer, wearing a striped robe and a headdress and holding a cup-like object. Behind her appear branches in full bloom, suggesting winter or spring. Tones stay muted, as was usual for woodblock prints of the period. Chinese characters and a red seal fill the lower edge.

Context

Kuniyoshi ranks among the major masters of nineteenth-century ukiyo-e woodblock printing. His work belongs to the Edo period, when prints enjoyed wide circulation. He became known above all for scenes of warriors, historical figures and subjects drawn from myth.

Impact

The figure's calm posture and the flowering branches give rise to a pensive mood. Muted colours and clear lines lend the sheet a balanced, quiet aesthetic.

Technique

For printing, the design was cut into a woodblock and then transferred to paper with ink and colour. Using several colours required the blocks to be aligned with great precision.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)