Courtesan at toilette, holding a mirror
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
This bijin-ga depicts a courtesan engaged in the ritual of toilette, holding a hand mirror — a compositional type with deep roots in Edo-period ukiyo-e extending from Utamaro through Kunisada. Kiyochika's treatment of the figure subject would apply his characteristic attention to lighting, potentially using a lamp or daylight source to model the figure's face and garments with greater chiaroscuro than was conventional in the genre. The hand mirror served as a painterly device reflecting a second view of the subject's face, a compositional strategy used to display hairstyle and facial expression simultaneously. The courtesan's kimono, hair ornaments, and cosmetic implements would be rendered with the careful material specificity expected in bijin-ga addressing a connoisseur audience.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Courtesan at toilette, holding a mirror was created by Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親).
Courtesan at toilette, holding a mirror depicts bijin-ga.
