Beauty Beneath a Willow Tree

Isoda Koryusai (Japanese, 1735-1790)

Edo period, c. 1780

Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
100.2 × 32.6 cm (39 7/16 × 12 7/8 in.); Overall with mount and knobs: 184 × 52.4 cm (72 7/16 × 20 5/8 in.)
Culture
Japan
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia
Credit line
Clarence Buckingham Collection
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the Art Institute of Chicago

About this work

This image focuses on a young woman as she strolls beneath a willow tree, lost in thought. She wears a black kimono over layers of red and an obi sash embroidered with phoenixes—elaborate attire that suggests she is on the way to some engagement. The abundant details in the patterns and colors of her outfit stand out against the abbreviated landscape rendered in ink.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0