Woman with Parasol
- Date:
- 1915
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art of Japan
This elegant parasol composition is among the most visually striking of Capelari's figure studies. The parasol motif connects to a long tradition in Japanese bijin-ga while carrying Capelari's distinctive Western approach to form and shadow. Pre-earthquake editions (check for the 6mm circular Watanabe seal) bring $4,000-$10,000; post-earthquake reprints sell for $2,000-$4,000.
This color woodblock print from 1915 depicts a woman carrying a parasol, the [oban](/glossary/oban) format providing generous space for the full-length figure and the circular canopy above her. A parasol differs from a rain umbrella in both function and construction: it shields against sun rather than water and is often made of lighter materials with more decorative treatment. Fritz Capelari positions the parasol as a framing device, its circular outline creating a halo-like shape around the woman's head and shoulders. The composition draws on the [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) tradition of showing women with accessories that extend and complement their silhouettes. Capelari's European perspective would have informed his treatment of the light and shadow the parasol casts on the figure beneath, using the woodblock printer's [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) shading technique to suggest the soft, filtered quality of sunlight passing through fabric or paper.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Woman with Parasol was created by Fritz Capelari (フリッツ・カペラリ) in 1915.
Woman with Parasol was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1915).
Woman with Parasol depicts bijin-ga.
