Kotondo's bijin-ga are prized for their psychologically intimate portrayals of modern Tokyo women. With only 21 designs and original woodblocks destroyed, all genuine 1930s impressions are scarce. Sotheby's estimated "Summer Geisha" at $8,000–$12,000 in 2023.
A woman examines her reflection in a standing mirror, applying cosmetics with the careful attention of a practitioner at her art. The Japanese title Kesho — makeup — gives the act its full weight: not vanity but craft, the daily construction of a composed exterior self. Kotondo's 1930 treatments of this subject are among the most sought after of his small oeuvre, combining compositional clarity with the atmospheric subtlety of his finest bijin-ga work.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Make-up (At the Mirror) — 化粧 was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1930.
Make-up (At the Mirror) — 化粧 was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1930).
Make-up (At the Mirror) — 化粧 depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.
