Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy
婦人相学十躰
About This Series
Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy is one of Utamaro's most celebrated portrait series, published by Tsutaya Juzaburo around 1792-1793. Each print presents a close-up bust portrait of a woman from different social classes, with subtle visual cues and inscriptions identifying her character type — the fickle type, the coquettish type, the interested type, and so on. The series exemplifies Utamaro's revolutionary approach to portraiture, using large-scale head-and-shoulders compositions (okubi-e) with delicate mica-dusted backgrounds to create psychologically penetrating character studies.
Prints in This Series (3)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series?
Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy is one of Utamaro's most celebrated portrait series, published by Tsutaya Juzaburo around 1792-1793. Each print presents a close-up bust portrait of a woman from different social classes, with subtle visual cues and inscriptions identifying her character type — the fickle type, the coquettish type, the interested type, and so on. The series exemplifies Utamaro's revolutionary approach to portraiture, using large-scale head-and-shoulders compositions (okubi-e) with delicate mica-dusted backgrounds to create psychologically penetrating character studies.
How many prints are in the Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series?
The Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series contains 10 prints, created by Kitagawa Utamaro between 1792–1793.
Who created the Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series?
The Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series was created by Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿), produced between 1792–1793.
Can I see all prints from the Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series?
We currently have 3 of 10 known prints from the Ten Studies in Female Physiognomy series indexed in our collection. Browse them all on this page.
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