Beauty of the Kanbun Era
Kanbun bijin, or “Beauty of the Kanbun Era,” is a generic name given to paintings of a woman standing against a neutral background. The tall woman wears her hair in an elaborate style called gosho-mage, or “palace chignon.” The designs on her outer kosode include areas of “fawn-spot” tie-dyeing interspersed with flower patterns, while decorated underlayers are also visible. Around the Kanbun period (1661–73) the width of the obi sash was still quite narrow.
Artwork Details
- 寛文美人図
- Title: Beauty of the Kanbun Era
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: late 17th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 24 1/8 × 9 5/8 in. (61.3 × 24.4 cm)
Overall with mounting: 55 × 15 7/16 in. (139.7 × 39.2 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.300.112
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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