Woman Cooling Herself
A young woman in a sheer kimono sits on a bamboo bench alongside a pond, fanning herself to allay the summer heat. She has kicked off one of her geta sandals, and bent her left leg into a relaxed pose. Fully bloomed irises in the marshy pond indicate the fifth lunar month, the middle of summer.
The crest on the fan shows the character Kō or Ko 高 in the center of a triple-mimasu (rice-measuring box) motif that was used between 1772 and 1801 by the popular Kabuki actor Ichikawa Komazō (Matsumoto Kōshirō V, 1764–1838). Assuming that the painting was made while the actor was still using this crest, the work probably dates to about 1800, relatively late in Utagawa Toyohiro’s career, when his depictions of female figures became more elongated and willowy.
The crest on the fan shows the character Kō or Ko 高 in the center of a triple-mimasu (rice-measuring box) motif that was used between 1772 and 1801 by the popular Kabuki actor Ichikawa Komazō (Matsumoto Kōshirō V, 1764–1838). Assuming that the painting was made while the actor was still using this crest, the work probably dates to about 1800, relatively late in Utagawa Toyohiro’s career, when his depictions of female figures became more elongated and willowy.
Artwork Details
- 歌川豊広筆 「納涼美人図」
- Title: Woman Cooling Herself
- Artist: Utagawa Toyohiro (Japanese, 1763–1828)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1800
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 15 3/4 × 26 1/8 in. (40 × 66.4 cm)
Overall with mounting: 59 × 32 1/8 in. (149.9 × 81.6 cm)
Overall with knobs: 59 × 34 3/4 in. (149.9 × 88.3 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of Joseph H. Durkee, by exchange and Gift of Paul B. Zeisler Jr., by exchange, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.21
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.