Artisans, from the series "An Up-to-Date Parody of the Four Classes"

19th century

Not on view

To represent artisans, one of the four classes (warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants) of the Edo period, Kunisada replaced the men more typical of the theme with pretty women and illustrated the interior of a woodblock printer's atelier. The woman at a table at the right is incising fine lines into a woodblock through a sheet of paper bearing an artist's painted design. In the center near the window, another woman is using a gouge and mallet to remove unwanted wood from another block. The woman in the center foreground is applying sizing to a sheet of paper. At the left, in front of a printing alcove, a female printer is waiting for these preparations to be completed.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Artisans, from the series "An Up-to-Date Parody of the Four Classes"
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786–1864)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Each 10 x 14 1/2 in. (25.4 x 36.8 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Cole J. Younger, 1975
Object Number: JP3495a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Banquet of the Next Full Moon at the Chrysanthemum Festival, from the series The Twelve Months (Chōyō nochi no tsuki no en, Jūni tsuki no uchi)
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