Hand Mirror
by Ito Shinsui
- Date:
- January 1931
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 41.3 × 26.2 cm
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
A woman holds a hand mirror (hand-kagami or kozukai-kagami)—the portable rounded mirror used for close-up grooming—the mica-enhanced background of this January 1931 print creating a luminous foil for the polished metal disc and the woman's features reflected in it. The hand mirror allowed Shinsui to create a doubled image—the woman's face and its reflection—within a single composition, adding a self-reflexive layer to the bijin-ga format. The mica application, characteristic of his most refined prints, gives the surface a jewel-like quality.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Hand Mirror was created by Ito Shinsui (伊東深水) in January 1931.
Hand Mirror was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (January 1931).
Hand Mirror depicts figures, bijin-ga, and interiors.
Hand Mirror measures 41.3 × 26.2 cm (Oban format).