『高貴納涼ノ図』|Nobility in the Evening Cool (Koki nōryō no zu)

Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu

1887 · Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Chikanobu became the most popular print artist of beauties during the Meiji period by depicting the Japanese nobility. Although the women in these polychrome prints wear Western hairstyles and dresses, their faces still resemble the traditional beauty ideal of the Edo period. Here, he pays careful attention to realistic details, such as the delicate moonlight, subtle gradation of gray in the night sky, pink flames in the gaslight of the lamppost, and burnished lilacs on the ladies’ dresses.

Artist

Yōshū (Hashimoto) Chikanobu

Date

1887

Medium

Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959