Two Ladies, Each with a Portion of a Lacquered Mirror

1790s

Not on view

Utamaro selectively used reflection to reinforce narrative and to emphasize themes. In this print, a standing woman holds up a mirror to a seated woman. Ironically, Utamaro chose to show the standing woman's reflection in the lacquered back of the mirror rather than the seated woman's in the mirror itself. The image involves a dual relationship: two women hold halves of the same object and perform a similar action. Their mimicking of each other duplicates the role of the mirror, which Utamaro placed between them as a communicative device.

Artwork Details

Title: Two Ladies, Each with a Portion of a Lacquered Mirror
Artist: Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, ca. 1754–1806)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: 1790s
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: H. 18 5/8 in. (47.3 cm); W. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Object Number: JP1673
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

By Kitagawa Utamaro

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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“Preparing Food for the Warbler,” from the album Men’s Stamping Dance (Otoko dōka, uguisu no esa suri)

, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Page from a woodblock printed book; ink and color on paper, Japan — “Preparing Food for the Warbler,” from the album Men’s Stamping Dance (Otoko dōka, uguisu no esa suri)
Kitagawa Utamaro
1798

The Lady Tomimoto Toyohina Reading a Letter, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — The Lady Tomimoto Toyohina Reading a Letter
Kitagawa Utamaro
1790

Women Preparing Sashimi, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, Japan — Women Preparing Sashimi
Kitagawa Utamaro
1806–20

In the Kitchen, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Right-hand sheet of a diptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — In the Kitchen
Kitagawa Utamaro
ca. 1794–95

Girl Fishers and Bathers, Kitagawa Utamaro Japanese, Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper, Japan — Girl Fishers and Bathers
Kitagawa Utamaro
1791

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