Artwork preview

Three Actors on Stage: Kumagai Naozane

Utagawa Kunisada

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Three panels from a Japanese woodblock print. The background is divided into two sections: a green bottom half and a patterned top half featuring a maze-like design in blue and white. The top section also features a beige strip along the top edge. Two black birds are perched on top of each outer panel. The left panel depicts a man in a grey kimono with floral designs and red lining, kneeling on the ground to the left. The middle panel depicts a man in a blue kimono with floral designs, kneeling on the ground in the center, looking down. The right panel depicts a man dressed in a brown kimono with gold designs and a yellow undergarment, kneeling on the ground to the right, holding a Japanese sword. The men are on a stage; their feet are obscured. The men all wear their hair in topknots. Vertical red banners are on either side of each panel; a horizontal yellow banner is on the left panel. A small red object and a writing brush are on the ground in the middle panel.

Artwork Details

Date
1858
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
598 × 327 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette