“Woman Holding Up a Parasol” from the series Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy (Fujo ninsō juppen: Higasa o sasu onna)

Description

In Woman Holding Up a Parasol, a woman holds a fan with golden ribs near her chest beneath a broad dark parasol, wearing a headcloth and purple robe. The close head-and-torso arrangement gives the carried objects a strong relationship to her figure. Kitagawa Utamaro makes the raised parasol part of an intimate portrayal within Ten Classes of Women’s Physiognomy, where familiar accessories shape a particular human presence.

Dating to around 1792–93, the woodblock print uses ink and color on paper. It belongs to a series while retaining the immediacy of its individual subject. The work’s appeal lies in the lasting presence given to a small human action, allowing the woman and parasol to remain central rather than turning the series title into an unsupported judgment about her character.

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