Woman Applying Makeup

late 18th–early 19th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This half-length portrait shows a woman applying lipstick, using the small stick clenched in the fingers of her right hand. The object in her left hand is a pocket mirror or perhaps the portable paper case containing the colorant for her lips. Though her upper lip is red, the lower one appears green, a style known as sasa-iro beni (bamboo grass red) that was popular during the late Edo period. It was achieved by using red makeup (beni) derived from safflower that turns an iridescent green when thickly applied.

Seitoku was active in Kyoto and known for his strikingly realistic portraits of geisha and courtesans, characterized by thick eyebrows, prominent noses, and staring eyes.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

化粧美人図
Title: Woman Applying Makeup
Artist: Gion Seitoku (Japanese, active 1789–1830)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: late 18th–early 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image: 25 1/4 × 15 3/4 in. (64.1 × 40 cm)
Overall with mounting: 62 × 20 1/2 in. (157.5 × 52 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
Curatorial Department: Asian Art