Artwork preview

The Actor Iwai Hanshiro IV as a Woman in a Black Kimono

Katsukawa Shunshō 勝川春章

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image depicts a Japanese woodblock print of a woman wearing a black kimono with red and beige accents. The kimono has a beige under-kimono with wave patterns and a black outer kimono with red and beige stripes on the sleeves and collar. She also wears a beige kimono over the black one with a red sash around her waist. Her obi or sash is beige and red with a circular white design on the end. The woman's hair is styled in an updo with an orange and brown headpiece. She holds a black box in her right hand. Her shoes are black with pink and orange flowers. The background is divided into two sections: a beige top section with some Japanese writing and a red seal, and a bottom section with a yellow floor and orange flowers. The overall color palette is muted, with shades of beige, black, red, and orange.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1780
Medium
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
303 × 625 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette