The Actor Onoe Matsutake I in the Role of a Young Woman of Fashion

Date1780s

Maker Ippitsusai Bunchō Japanese, active ca. 1765-92

Label TextIppitsusai Buncho is an idiosyncratic figure in the ukiyo-e world, channeling influences from Harunobu and Shunsho but possessing a distinctive style all his own. The arched pose of the tall, improbably slender figure reflects the elegance of Buncho at the peak of his craft. The kimono-clad figure is an onnagata, an actor who specializes in female roles. Here he adopts the mien of a stylish young lady.

Object number2013.31.9

ProvenanceCollection of Henri Vever (1854-1942), France; [Sotheby’s, London, Highly Important Japanese Prints, Illustrated Books and Drawings from the Henri Vever Collection: Part I, Mar. 26, 1974, lot no. 103]; [Israel Goldman Japanese Prints, London, England]; purchased from gallery by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2005; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2013

Photo CreditPhoto: Colleen Kollar Zorn

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Fleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints, Apr. 1 - July 4, 2010. Text by Catherine Roche. Cat. no. 17, reproduced p. 40. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Renegade Edo: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec, July 21 - Dec. 3, 2023. Text by Xiaojin Wu. No cat. no., p. 101.

Credit LineGift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

DimensionsSheet size: 11 7/8 x 5 5/8 in. (30.2 x 14.3 cm)

MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper