Young Man Catching the Sleeve of a Court Lady
Dateca. 1766-68
Maker
Suzuki Harunobu
Japanese, 1724 - 1770
Label TextIn the Heian period (794-1185), a court lady would seek to catch the attention of a potential suitor by allowing her robes to trail out from beneath a bamboo blind. The classic work of Japanese literature, Lady Murasaki's Tale of Genji, frequently employed this device, and in visual art it became a standard signifier for the 10th-century romance. In this print, the sweet-faced girl's hairstyle and red skirt denote the Heian era, but her outer robe is an anachronism. The young man's looks are entirely contemporary.
Object number2013.31.5
Provenance[Sebastian Izzard, New York]; purchased from gallery by Allan Kollar, Seattle, Washington, 2009; 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. 13, reproduced p. 36.Credit LineGift of Mary and Allan Kollar, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions10 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. (27.3 x 20 cm)
MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper
Suzuki Harunobu
1766
Object number: 2013.31.2
Suzuki Harunobu
ca. 1766-68
Object number: 2013.31.4
Suzuki Harunobu
1766
Object number: 2013.31.1
Kitagawa Utamaro
ca. 1800
Object number: 2017.23.1
Kitagawa Utamaro
ca. 1795-96
Object number: 2017.23.6
Utagawa Toyokuni
ca. 1798-1800
Object number: 2014.32.6
Ippitsusai Bunchō
1780s
Object number: 2013.31.9
Kitagawa Utamaro
ca. 1795
Object number: 2017.23.5
Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)
1844-53
Object number: 53.134
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