Artwork
喜多川歌麿画 「実競色乃美名家見 紙屋次兵衛 紀ノ国屋小春」|Jihei of Kamiya Eloping with the Geisha Koharu of Kinokuniya, from the series “True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love” (Jitsu kurabe iro no Minakami)
喜多川歌麿画 「実競色乃美名家見 紙屋次兵衛 紀ノ国屋小春」|Jihei of Kamiya Eloping with the Geisha Koharu of Kinokuniya, from the series “True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love” (Jitsu kurabe iro no Minakami) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Utamaro. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
This woodblock print, created by Kitagawa Utamaro around 1798, is part of a series titled 'True Feelings Compared: The Founts of Love'. It depicts a clandestine scene of a man and woman in an intimate moment.
Subject & Meaning
The print shows a couple hurrying through a dimly lit street, their faces partially illuminated by a paper lantern. The scene conveys a sense of secrecy and urgency, suggesting a romantic tryst or elopement.
Technique & Style
Utamaro carved the design onto wood blocks himself, allowing for precise control over the intricate details and subtle color gradations. The print was then produced using multiple blocks, each inked with a different color.
Context
The series to which this print belongs explores themes of secret love and relationships in old Tokyo, offering a glimpse into the city's cultural and social landscape during the late 18th century.
Artist & collection
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実競色乃美名家見 三浦屋小紫 白井権八|The Lovers Miura-ya Komurasaki and Shirai Gonpachi.
行水|Bathtime (Gyōzui)
名君 閨中の粧ひ|The Oiran Yoso-oi Seated at Her Toilet
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『五色染六歌仙』 在原業平と小野小町|“The Poet Ariwara no Narihira (825–880) and Ono no Komachi,” from the series Five Colors of Love for the Six Poetic Immortals (Goshiki-zome rokkasen)
風俗美人時計 子ノ刻 妾|Midnight: Mother and Sleepy Child
実競色乃美名家見 紙屋次兵衛 紀ノ国屋小春|Jihei of Kamiya Eloping with Koharu of Kinokuniya
逢身八契 権八小紫の床の通気|Gonpachi ni Komurasaki no Toko no Tsuki
当世恋歌八契 お七と吉三郎|The Lovers Oshichi and Kichisaburo
『青楼七小町』 「玉屋内花紫」|“Hanamurasaki of the Tamaya,” from the series Seven Komachi of the Pleasure Quarters (Seirō Nana Komachi)
Gompachi Komurasaki no Toko no Tsuki|逢身八契 権八小紫の床の通気|Shared Feelings in the Bedchamber of Komurasaki and Gompachi
喜多川歌麿画 六玉川 扇屋内 花扇 扇屋内花扇|The Oiran Hanaogi of Ogiya, from the series “Six Jewel Rivers” (Mutamagawa)
喜多川歌麿画 「青楼仁和嘉女芸者 茶せん売 黒木売 さいもん」|Three Niwaka Performers, Chasenuri, Kurokiri, and Saimon (Tea-whisk Seller, Firewood Seller, Shrine Festival Perfomer), from the “Geisha of the Yoshiwara Niwaka Festival” (Seiro Niwaka Onna Geisha)
青楼仁和嘉女芸者之部 唐人 獅子 角力|Seiro Niwaka Onna Geisha no Bu Tojin Shishi Sumo
喜多川歌麿画 「美人気量競 五明楼 花扇」|“Hanaōgi of the Gomeirō,” from the series Comparing the Charms of Beauties (Bijin kiryō kurabe: Gomeirō Hanaōgi)
喜多川歌麿画 山姥と金太郎|Yamauba Tying Kintarō’s Topknot