Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Beauties of the Four Seasons

A full catalogue of the Ashmolean’s collection of Japanese bijinga (beautiful women) prints by Mitsuko Watanabe (published Oxford, 2005).

Beauties of the Four Seasons by Mitsuko Watanabe

Publications online: 54 objects

Reference URL

Actions

Send e-mail

Contact us about this object

Send e-mail

Send to a friend

Courtesans relaxing in the afternoon

  • Literature notes

    Courtesans gathered chatting on the veranda of a Green House with the shōji (sliding doors made with paper) open, on a cheerful sunny day. Even the cat seems to be relaxed. In the background Shunchō has, most unusually, used geometrical perspective, showing the details of the structure of a Green house of the period, easily divided into small rooms suitable for small parties.

    During the Edo era, the style and thickness of kimono was changed four times a year. These girls are wearing awase (lined kimono) which were worn in early summer and late autumn. The design of chrysanthemum on the kimono of the central standing girl may relate to the Chrysanthemum Festival in September.
  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (place of creation)
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (place of publication)
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (Yoshiwara) (subject)
    Date
    1780 - 1795
    Artist/maker
    Katsukawa Shunchō (active 1780 - 1795) (designer)
    Associated people
    Nishimuraya Yohachi (c. 1751 - c. 1870) (publisher)
    Material and technique
    nishiki-e (multi-block) woodblock print, printed with water-based vegetable pigments
    Dimensions
    mount 55.3 x 40.6 cm (height x width)
    print 39.2 x 25.8 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented by Mrs Allan and Mr and Mrs H. N. Spalding, 1952.
    Accession no.
    EAX.4082
  • Further reading

    Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 24 August-30 November 2005, Beauties of the Four Seasons, Mitsuko Watanabe, ed. (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2005), no. 9 on p. 18, illus. p. 19

Glossary (2)

nishiki-e, vegetable pigments

  • nishiki-e

    Nishiki-e literally means 'brocade pictures' and refers to multi-coloured woodblock prints.

  • vegetable pigments

    Vegetable pigments were used to create coloured dyes for Japanese prints, paintings, and textiles. These pigments often faded over time due to the chemical reactions they underwent.

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Publications online

  • Beauties of the Four Seasons by Mitsuko Watanabe

    Beauties of the Four Seasons

    Courtesans gathered chatting on the veranda of a Green House with the shōji (sliding doors made with paper) open, on a cheerful sunny day. Even the cat seems to be relaxed. In the background Shunchō has, most unusually, used geometrical perspective, showing the details of the structure of a Green house of the period, easily divided into small rooms suitable for small parties.

    During the Edo era, the style and thickness of kimono was changed four times a year. These girls are wearing awase (lined kimono) which were worn in early summer and late autumn. The design of chrysanthemum on the kimono of the central standing girl may relate to the Chrysanthemum Festival in September.
Notice

Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.

© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum