The Actor Segawa Michinosuke in a Female Role
1804
In this work, celebrated onnagata Segawa Michinosuke assumes the role of a so-called "castle-toppler," a euphemism for a courtesan whose beauty was so great it could bring down empires. The back view emphasizes the full brilliance of the actor's stunning plum-colored kimono, shrugged off both shoulders and fanned out at the hem, artfully arranged for full dramatic effect.
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Framed: 14 1/2 x 10 in. (36.8 x 25.4 cm)
Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2014.32.7
Provenance: [Peter Gilder, Arts and Designs of Japan, San Francisco, California]; purchased from gallery by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 1989; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2014
Photo: Susan Cole