Young Maidens, first half 19th century
attr. Yamaguchi Sokenexpand_more
Ink and color on paperexpand_more
Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Cultureexpand_more 2013.29.169.3
Not on Viewexpand_more
This hanging scroll—one of a set of six—shows women of different social class and economic status engaging in fashionable activities. One girl, seated in the foreground, reads a printed book of One Hundred Poets like the one on view in the case nearby, with a portrait of a poet accompanied by their poem (the book is open to the same page as hers). One Hundred Poets was a collection of 100 poems by preeminent poets from the 600s to the 1200s. It was considered the foundation for the study of writing and an entrypoint for beginning readers. The text is made easier to read with the addition of ruby characters (annotation placed above or next to Chinese characters to provide the pronunciation), indicating that her book is relatively easy to read even with basic education.
Details
- Title
- Young Maidens
- Artist Life
- 1759 - 1818
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.29.169.3
- Provenance
- Azabu Museum of Art ('-1998); sold at Christie's New York, Park Avenue, Sale 9044 (AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF JAPANESE UKIYO-E PAINTINGS), 27 October 1998, lot 119; Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture (2001-13).
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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