Artwork
石川豊信画 小型花車持ち若衆|Young Man (Wakashu) with a Miniature Flower Cart
石川豊信画 小型花車持ち若衆|Young Man (Wakashu) with a Miniature Flower Cart is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Ishikawa Toyonobu. It dates from 1760 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Ishikawa Toyonobu’s woodblock print, dated 1760, depicts a young man carrying a small flower‑laden cart. Executed in ink and color on paper, the work belongs to the genre of everyday scenes that the artist favored. The print is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is a wakashu, a youthful male attendant, shown in profile with his hair neatly tied back and a plain black hat. He wears a brightly patterned robe and balances a miniature cart overflowing with pink and white blossoms, suggesting a role in a seasonal or ceremonial procession.
Technique & Style
Toyonobu employs flat, unmodulated color fields and crisp line work to render the checkered fabric, the woven texture of the robe, and the delicate flowers. The composition relies on strong contrasts between black‑white checks and vivid green and orange trim, emphasizing the decorative quality of the garment and the immediacy of the scene.
History & Provenance
Created in the mid‑eighteenth century, the print reflects the ukiyo‑e focus on quotidian subjects rather than heroic or mythological narratives. It entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition in the twentieth century, where it remains a representative example of Toyonobu’s output and of Edo‑period print culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ishikawa Toyonobu spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he carved and printed the everyday scenes of city life.
