Beauty catching a spider, c. 1783
Katsukawa Shunshōexpand_more
Ink and color on silkexpand_more
Gift of Willard and Elizabeth Clarkexpand_more 2015.114.39
Not on Viewexpand_more
A beautiful, elegantly dressed woman stands with her back to a red
lacquered lantern. Her right arm is stretched out and she holds a wad of
white paper in her hand, preparing to catch a spider that dangles from a
single web strand. Katsukawa Shunsho- exerted a significant influence
on the development of ukiyo-e prints and paintings in the later 18th
century and beyond: he also founded the Katsukawa school of artists
that dominated the field of actor prints in particular up until the 1790s.
Shunsho- was a prolific painter, and over one hundred paintings are
known to have survived. Here, he masterfully accentuates this calm
scene by decorating only the bottom section of the woman’s robe and
showing only the white tips of her left fingers and toes.
The artist’s red kao- mark that follows his signature is in a style
registered as C1 and is similar to that found on an egoyomi (calendar
print) dating from 1783.
Details
- Title
- Beauty catching a spider
- Artist Life
- 1726 - 1793
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.114.39
- 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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