Utagawa Kunisada (aka Toyokuni III)
Japanese (1786 – 1865) Primary

Beauty Playing a Koto Musical Instrument, from the series Sankyoku Bijin Awase (Beauties of the Three Instruments)

ca. 1820

15 3/4 x 10 1/2 (40.01 cm x 26.67 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Asian - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Asia, which is in the eastern hemisphere, and is bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and is generally considered to be delimited on the west by the Ural Mountains. It also refers to the numerous islands off the coast of Asia.
• bijinga - Paintings or prints that depict beautiful women. This term, which literally means "pictures of beautiful women," was most likely coined in the Edo period (1615-1868) or the Meiji period (1868-1912). Before this period, these pictures may have been called "onna-e" or "bijin-e".
• color woodcuts - Woodcuts that incorporate color, usually through combining a series of blocks in precise registration that have been inked with individual hues and pressed onto one support.
• Japanese - Nationality, periods, cultures, and styles found in Japan, either in historical times or in the present.
• triptychs - Paintings or carvings consisting of or mounted on three attached panels, often hinged so that the outer wings fold over the central portion; a common form for altarpieces. Also used for other works having three related images side by side.
• Ukiyo-e - Distinctive genre in painting and other media, but most prominently in woodblock printing. It arose in the Edo period (1600-1868) and built up a broad popular market among the middle classes. Subject matter typically focused on brothel districts and kabuki theatres, with formats ranging from single sheet prints to book illustrations. Generally, the style is characterized by a mixture of the realistic narrative of the Kamakura period and the mature decorative style of the Momoyama and Edo periods. Distinctive styles and specialties in subject matter were developed by different schools throughout the period.
• woodcuts - Prints made using the process of woodcut, which is a relief process in which the design is cut into and printed from the plank side of a wood block; distinct from "wood engraving (process)," which is a relief process using the grain end of a wood block.

This object is a member of the following portfolios: