Kikukawa Eizan
Japanese (1787 - 1867) Primary

Two Beauties: one tying her obi, the other drying silk floss, from the series, Women Engaged in Sericulture (Joshoku kaiko tewaza-gusa)

ca. 1811-1814

15 3/4 in. x 10 1/2 in. (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.
• sericulture - The rearing of silk worms for the purpose of producing silk fibers.
• 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: