Who painted Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk?

Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk was painted by Chōkyōsai Eiri 鳥橋斎栄里 in 1795.

Where can I see Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk?

Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk?

Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk

Chōkyōsai Eiri 鳥橋斎栄里 , 1795

Two pairs of beauties - one at a window, the other taking a walk is a paint painting by the Romanticist artist Chōkyōsai Eiri 鳥橋斎栄里. It dates from 1795 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

This 19th-century Japanese drawing, titled 'Two pairs of beauties', depicts four fashionable women from Edo (modern Tokyo) in two distinct scenes, divided by a central line indicating its intended split into two separate woodblock prints.

Subject & Meaning

The artwork showcases daily life in Edo, contrasting indoor leisure (two women cooling themselves at a window) with outdoor activity (two women strolling along a riverbank), highlighting the elegance of Edo's beauties in varied settings.

Technique & Style

Executed as a copyist's drawing, this work reproduces Eiri's original sketches in preparation for woodblock printing. Its style reflects the ukiyo-e tradition, emphasizing the beauty of everyday life in Edo.

History & Provenance

Unusually preserved (as copyist's drawings were typically discarded after block carving), this piece suggests the designs were never realised as prints. It is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection.

Artist & collection

Artist

Chōkyōsai Eiri 鳥橋斎栄里

Chōkyōsai Eiri’s color woodblock prints and paintings show stylish women in everyday scenes—like the pair at a window and the one out for a stroll in *Two pairs of beauties* (1795–96).