Yoshitoshi 芳年: Looking Refined: The Appearance of a Court Lady During the Kyowa Era

Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 芳年 (1839-1892)
Title:  Looking Refined: The Appearance of a Court Lady During the Kyowa Era (1801-1804)
Series: Thirty-two Types of Women (Fuzoku sanjû-ni sô)
Date: 1888, April 13

A beautifully refined and composed court lady carries a tasselled cypresswood fan, which denotes her dignity and rank. She wears Heian style “moth  eyebrows” and four layers of  robes, which are beautifully embossed with distinct woven patterns. Her mouth his closed, the green lower lip indicating the springlike freshness of her beauty, and even her eyelashes have been delicately printed. The printing of the hair is a testament to the unrivaled skill of the Meiji engraver. With the three-colored cartouche that is said to indicate an early (”first”) edition.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Untrimmed and unbacked. With two unidentified Japanese collector’s seals, verso.
Dimensions: ôban (37.3 x 25.5 cm)
Publisher: Tsunashima Kamekichi
Literature: See Stevenson “Yoshitoshi’s Women”, plate 5, page 38.
Signature: Yoshitoshi

SKU: YOT914