Goyo completed only 14 woodblock print designs before his death in 1921, making every genuine impression extraordinarily rare. His bijin-ga are among the most refined of the entire shin-hanga movement. "Woman at the Bath" achieved $40,075 at Bonhams New York in 2020; Sotheby's estimates of $15,000–$25,000 are typical for top examples.
A woman in the act of preparing to wash her face — filling a basin, adjusting her position, or removing her makeup at the end of the day — one of Goyo's 1920 subjects in the preparatory-washing category. The face-washing preparation had a particular quality of unguarded authenticity: the woman turning away from the public presentation that cosmetics create, returning to the bare face beneath. Goyo was consistently interested in these transitional moments, neither the fully dressed public woman nor the fully undressed private one.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Woman preparing to wash her face was created by Hashiguchi Goyo (橋口五葉) in 1920.
Woman preparing to wash her face was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1920).
Woman preparing to wash her face depicts figures, bijin-ga, and interiors.
