Yamauba Blackening her Teeth, with Kintarō
Utamaro designed numerous prints featuring Yamauba, a legendary woman who lived in the mountains and raised the rambunctious boy Kintarō, who went on to become a storied warrior. Here, Kintarō clings to Yamauba’s back and sticks out his tongue at his reflection in the mirror she uses to blacken her teeth. This beauty regimen, associated since ancient times with aristocratic women, was widely practiced among Edo-period social classes.
Artwork Details
- 喜多川歌麿画 山姥と金太郎
- Title: Yamauba Blackening her Teeth, with Kintarō
- Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, ca. 1754–1806)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1795
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Oban: 14 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (37.5 x 24.8 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of John and Lili Bussel, 1996
- Object Number: 1996.463
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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