This color woodblock print from Utamaro's working years presents a scene titled "Serenade" — likely a composition of a musician or musicians performing for a beloved, or a woman listening to music in an evening setting. The serenade motif linked musical performance to romantic pursuit, a connection embedded in both Japanese and broader East Asian cultural traditions. The visual treatment would emphasize posture, instrument, and atmospheric setting.
![A Low Class Prostitute (Gun [teppo]), from the series “Five Shades of Ink in the Northern Quarter" ("Hokkoku goshiki-zumi") by Kitagawa Utamaro](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/ed82be98-8a83-4163-ccc4-e2f7210cce55/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
c. 1794/95
Color woodblock print; oban
c. 1793
color woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Serenade was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿) in 1753–1806.
Serenade depicts music, figures, and bijin-ga.
Serenade measures 36.2 × 25.2 cm (Oban format).
