Utamaro 歌麿: Beauties Engaged in Silkworm Cultivation: Stage number Seven

Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro 歌麿 (1752-1806)

Title: Silkworm Cultivation: Stage number Seven 女織蚕手業草　七 (Joshoku kaiko tewaza-gusa; Nana)

Series: Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry 女織蚕手業草 (Joshoku kaiko tewaza-gusa) Date: ca. 1798-1800

The twelve pictures of this series show the stages in sericulture, silkworm cultivation, traditionally considered the purview of women. The color scheme of this series focuses on purple (in purple picture style murasaki-e), avoiding red. Murasaki-e may be considered a form of benigirai-e, or red-avoiding picture, which enjoyed a brief popularity near 1800. This print, the seventh of the series, shows the stage of the metamorphosis, when the winged moth stage silkworms are used to lay eggs. We see three impossibly elegant women watching two moths be put next to each other on a piece of paper. The text explains the specific stage in more detail. In the cloud-shaped borders, the text describes their activities, which was taken verbatim from the series of twelve chuban prints by Katsukawa Shunshô and Kitao Shigemasa, Kaiko yashinai-gusa. It is thought that these prints were made to help promote the silk industry. The text explains: “From silkworms which are making cocoons, good ones are selected, attached to threads and suspended. Out of cocoons the moth caterpillars emerge. A male and female are put together and moved onto papers. The females lay eggs. This is called uwako(?)”.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Untrimmed and unbacked. The paper in the upper corners has been reinforced by a conservator.

Dimensions: ôban (38.8 x 25.7 cm)
Publisher: Tsuruya Kiemon
Literature: Illustrated in Ukiyo-e zuten by Kiyoshi Shibui, p. 138. For others in the series: Asano, Shûgô & Clark, Timothy: The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, Chiba City Museum of Art, 1995, pp.205-6, #325 & 326.
Signature: Utamaro hitsu

SKU: UTA043