''Sugatami Shichinin Keshō'' (, "Seven Women Applying Make-up Using a Mirror", ) is the title of what was likely a seven-print series by the Japanese

ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

artist

Kitagawa Utamaro was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and is best known for his ''Bijin-ga, bijin ōkubi-e'' "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produ ...

. Only one print from the presumed series is known, and is believed to be of the tea-house girl

Naniwa O-Kita Naniwa () may refer to: People with the given name *, Japanese spy *, ring name by Yoshikuni Kimura, japanese professional wrestler *, Empress of Japan *, Japanese actress Music * Naniwa Danshi, Japanese boy band * Naniwa Express, Japanese jazz ...

. The print has also appeared under the title ''Bijin Keshō no Zu'' (, "Picture of Woman Applying Makeup").

Description

The vertical ''

nishiki-e is a type of Japanese multi-coloured woodblock printing; the technique is used primarily in ukiyo-e. It was invented in the 1760s, and perfected and popularized by the printmaker Suzuki Harunobu, who produced many ''nishiki-e'' prints between ...

'' multicolour print is in ''o-ban'' size—about . It was published by

Tsutaya Jūzaburō Tsutaya Jūzaburō (; 13 February 1750 – 31 May 1797) was the founder and head of the Tsutaya publishing house in Edo, Japan, and produced illustrated books and ukiyo-e woodblock prints of many of the period's most famous ar ...

and is signed ''Utamaro ga'' (, "drawn by Utamaro"). The mirror's background is dusted with

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...

to give it a glittering effect. The print bears the title ''Sugatami Shichinin Keshō'', which suggests it was—or was intended to be—part of a seven-print series. The young woman in the print is seen from behind, her body cropped off the right edge. Her face appears reflected as she peers into a large mirror with her right hand on her hair. Both her face and the nape of her neck are visible; the nape of the neck was considered particularly sensual in

Edo-period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Japan. The subject does not pose like a model, but rather appears relaxed, away from the gaze of the public; Utamaro made many such candid portraits, emphasizing the beauty of the whole body—fingers, the nape of the neck, and such—rather than just the face. The print does not indicate the subject, but from the long, slit-like almond-shaped eyes, the bridge of her nose, and

paulownia ''Paulownia'' ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood trees (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. The genus and family are native to east Asia and are widespread across China. The genus, o ...

crest on her

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

, it is believed she is the tea-house girl

, who appears in other Utamaro prints, such as '' Tōji San Bijin'', in which she is identified by the same clues. Contemporary purchasers of the print likely recognized her from the crest. Utamaro had named his subjects in earlier prints, but under the increasingly strict

Kansei Reforms was a after ''Tenmei'' and before '' Kyōwa''. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1789 : The new era name of '' Kansei'' (meaning "Tolerant Government" or "Broad-m ...

of the 1790s it became illegal to name entertainers in prints.

Notes

References

Works cited

* * * * * *

External links

* {{Portal bar, Japan, Visual arts 18th-century portraits Works by Kitagawa Utamaro 1792 prints 1793 prints