A Woman Tying up a Curtain, a Flower Arrangement of Chrysanthemums in a Boat-shaped Hanging Vase, and Narcissus Arranged in a Flower Vase
ca. 1805
Medium
One sheet of a triptych(?) of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 in. (38.1 cm); W. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Estate of Samuel Isham, 1914
Accession Number
JP1007
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (16151868), Utagawa Toyohiro (1773–1825), a master of the Utagawa school and teacher to the famed Hiroshige, captured everyday elegance in his woodblock prints. This single sheet from a possible triptych, dated around 1805, depicts a graceful woman tying back a curtain alongside exquisite flower arrangements: chrysanthem in a boat-shaped hanging and narcissus in another. Titled *A Woman T up a Curtain, a Flower Arrangement Chrysanthemums in a-shaped Hanging Vase, and Narcissus Arranged in a Flower Vase*, it exemplifies ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), celebrating beauty, transience, and domestic refinement. Toyohiro's technique shines through ink and color on paper, with precise woodblock carving producing bold outlines, subtle gradients (via bokashi shading), and vivid hues that bring the scene to life. Measuring 15 x 10¼ inches, the intimate scale invites viewers into a serene interior, where women and flowers—common motifs in bijin-ga (beautiful women prints)—symbolize harmony and seasonal poetry. Chrysanthemums evoke autumn's fleeting splendor, while narcissus hint at renewal, tying into ikebana traditions of artistic flower arranging. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Department since a 1914 gift, this print reflects urban Japan's fascination with refined leisure amid the era's prosperity. A delightful glimpse into Tokugawa culture, it reminds us how art transformed the ordinary into the poetic.
About the Artist
Utagawa Toyohiro · 1763–1828
Utagawa Toyohiro (1763–1828) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist and painter who founded a major branch of the Utagawa school and is best remembered as the teacher of Utagawa Hiroshige, one of the greatest landscape print designers in Japanese art history. Born in Edo (present-day Tokyo), he studied under Utagawa Toyoharu, the founder of the Utagawa school, who was noted for introducing Western perspect...