Early Summer Bath, from the series “Twelve Images of Modern Beauties”
by Ito Shinsui
- Series:
- Twelve Images of Modern Beauties
- Date:
- 1917
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
by Ito Shinsui
Shinsui's Taisho-era bijin-ga are his most coveted works. His early masterpieces like "Before the Mirror" (1916) fetch GBP 52,920 (~$67,000) at Sotheby's. The most iconic designs from the "Modern Beauties" series approach these heights with fresh, vivid original colors.
The inaugural print from the celebrated "Twelve Images of Modern Beauties" series (1917), this bijin-ga shows a woman in the intimate ritual of the early summer bath—the season's heat making bathing a sensory pleasure rather than simply a hygienic duty. Commissioned by publisher Watanabe Shozaburo as part of the foundational shin-hanga initiative, the series established Shinsui as the premier bijin-ga artist of the new movement at just nineteen years of age. The delicate color woodblock technique captures the soft warmth of the bathing subject.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Early Summer Bath, from the series “Twelve Images of Modern Beauties” was created by Ito Shinsui (伊東深水) in 1917.
Yes — Early Summer Bath, from the series “Twelve Images of Modern Beauties” is part of the Twelve Images of Modern Beauties series by Ito Shinsui.
Early Summer Bath, from the series “Twelve Images of Modern Beauties” was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1917).
Early Summer Bath, from the series “Twelve Images of Modern Beauties” depicts bijin-ga and summer.
Early Summer Bath, from the series “Twelve Images of Modern Beauties” measures 43.5 × 26.8 cm (Oban format).
