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

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Elegant Plum Tree Garden

  • Literature notes

    Kikukawa Eizan produced many prints of beauties between about 1805 and 1820. After the death of Utamaro, Eizan incorporated his style into his work. During the Bunka era (1804-18), he was one of the most popular artists but gradually went out of fashion in favour of Keisai Eisen (1791-1841), who was one of his pupils. One of his best known series is the Fūryu nana Komachi (see the following four prints [EAX.4436], [EAX.4438], [EAX.4437], [EAX.4439]).

    This print shows two women, one of whom holds up a baby, coming toward the teahouse. They have come to enjoy the view of the plum trees of early spring in the Umeyashiki (plum tree garden). The garyōbai (a type of old and twisted plum tree) in the background is possibly that which Utagawa Hiroshige depicted in Kameido ume-yashiki from the series One Hundred Views of Edo, which later was copied by Vincent van Gogh.
  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (place of creation)
    AsiaJapanHonshūKantōTōkyō prefecture Tōkyō (place of publication)
    Date
    1805 - 1820
    Artist/maker
    Kikukawa Eizan (1787 - 1867) (designer)
    Associated people
    Izumiya Ichibei (active 1770s - 1886) (publisher)
    Kansendō (active 1770s - 1886) (publisher)
    Material and technique
    nishiki-e (multi-block) woodblock print, printed with water-based vegetable pigments
    Dimensions
    mount 55.6 x 32.1 cm (height x width)
    print 34 x 22 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.4443.b
  • Further reading

    Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 24 August-30 November 2005, Beauties of the Four Seasons, Mitsuko Watanabe, ed. (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2005), no. 29 on p. 62, illus. p. 63

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

    Kikukawa Eizan produced many prints of beauties between about 1805 and 1820. After the death of Utamaro, Eizan incorporated his style into his work. During the Bunka era (1804-18), he was one of the most popular artists but gradually went out of fashion in favour of Keisai Eisen (1791-1841), who was one of his pupils. One of his best known series is the Fūryu nana Komachi (see the following four prints [EAX.4436], [EAX.4438], [EAX.4437], [EAX.4439]).

    This print shows two women, one of whom holds up a baby, coming toward the teahouse. They have come to enjoy the view of the plum trees of early spring in the Umeyashiki (plum tree garden). The garyōbai (a type of old and twisted plum tree) in the background is possibly that which Utagawa Hiroshige depicted in Kameido ume-yashiki from the series One Hundred Views of Edo, which later was copied by Vincent van Gogh.
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.

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