Make-Up — 化粧

"Make-Up" (化粧, kesho) depicts the application of cosmetics — the transformation of the face through white powder, rouge, and other preparations that constituted the elaborate beauty ritual of Meiji Japan. The makeup subject was among the most intimate of domestic scenes in the bijin-ga tradition: the woman before her mirror, applying the specific preparations appropriate to her social role and occasion. Shuntei renders the specific tools and products of Meiji cosmetic practice alongside the characteristic postures and gestures of self-beautification, connecting his work to the great tradition of toilet-scene bijin-ga stretching back to Utamaro.