Beauty Turning Her Head
Hishikawa Moronobu (Japanese, died 1694)
c. 1685-94
- Medium
- Hanging scroll; ink and colors on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- 70.6 × 26.5 cm (27 × 10 in.); With mounting: 151.1 × 38.1 cm (59 1/2 × 15 in.); Width including lower roller: W.: 43.2 cm (17 in.)
- Culture
- Japan
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
- Credit line
- Anonymous Gift
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Hishikawa Moronobu was known for producing images of common people’s leisurely pursuits during the Edo period (1615–1868) and has been credited as the first true artist of ukiyo-e (“floating world” pictures). He rarely painted single beauties like this example, but his depictions of Tokyo’s inhabitants enjoying arts, beauty, and fashion—including their visits to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters—were renowned for capturing the spirit of the age. Moronobu was originally from Awa province (now Chiba prefecture) and by the 1670s had moved into the city, where he worked as a book illustrator and print designer before focusing on scroll paintings towards the end of his career.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
