Artwork preview

Twelve Hours of Spring Pleasures: Hour of the Dragon

Utagawa Kunisada

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Colorful woodblock print of a woman in traditional Japanese clothing sitting on a low bed or couch. The woman sits on a pink mat atop a blue patterned floor with flowers. Her kimono has a pink background with a white geometric pattern and blue accents. She sits with her legs tucked to one side, her arms raised to touch her hair, which is styled in an updo with a decorative pin. The low bed or couch has a red cushion and a blue and yellow plaid blanket draped over the back. A small black box with a red lid sits on the floor beside her. Two men carry a green and gray object on a pole between them in an inset image in the upper left. A red triangular object with a gold finial and Japanese writing on it hangs on the wall to the right. The background is a gradient of beige and blue. Japanese characters are written vertically on a yellow and blue background to the right of the woman.

Artwork Details

Date
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Culture
Japan
Dimensions
447 × 624 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette