The Actor Ichiyama Shichizô as Terute-no-hime
1768
The remarkably well-preserved colors of this actor print belie the highly fugitive nature of 18th-century organic pigments. Pinks tended to fade to orange, while blues and purples softened into grays and tans. The print shows an onnagata, an actor who specialized in female roles, as the princess Terute no Hime. Kiyomitsu captured the actor "cutting a line"-a kabuki term for striking a pose.
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
12 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. (31.1 x 14 cm)
Gift of Mary and Allan Kollar
2011.40.8
Provenance: [Peter Gilder, Arts and Designs of Japan, San Francisco, California]; private collection; [Christie's, New York, An Important Collection of Japanese Prints, Mar. 25, 2003, sale no. 1298, lot no. 6, reproduced p. 13]; purchased at auction by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2003; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2011
