五箇国人物呑託之図|People of the Five Nations

Utagawa Yoshitora

1861 · Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

In this print, foreigners—merchants, officers, ladies, and servants—gather for refreshments in a place that resembles a Chinese courtyard at the Yokohama waterfront. The shading and highlighting in the coloration of the clothes were techniques probably inspired by Western engravings. The artist attempted linear perspective; the awkward structure of the space fragments the interiors shown in the background.

Artist

Utagawa Yoshitora

Date

1861

Medium

Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959