“Hanaōgi of the Gomeirō,” from the series Comparing the Charms of Beauties (Bijin kiryō kurabe: Gomeirō Hanaōgi)

Description

Hanaōgi of the Gomeirō looks downward over a raised sleeve against a dark charcoal ground. Gold hairpins and red-and-blue patterned textiles give the close portrait strong accents around her pale face. Kitagawa Utamaro makes the named courtesan a particular presence within Comparing the Charms of Beauties, allowing the interaction between pose, dress and restrained background to carry the encounter.

Dating to around 1794–95, the woodblock print uses ink and color on paper. It belongs to Edo-period Japan and preserves a named figure through the visual form of a print. The work’s appeal lies in the meeting of individual identity and the comparative theme of the series, without requiring a speculative account of Hanaōgi’s thoughts, actions or circumstances beyond the documented subject.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.