Leaf from a Book Entitled: Wakoku Hiaku-jo, One Hundred Japanese Women

Art Historical Context

This delicate leaf from *Wak Hiaku-jo: One Hundred Japanese Women* by Hishikawa Moronobu (1618–1694) offers a glimpse into the vibrant of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868). Moronobu, a pioneering ukiyo-e artist, helped popularize woodblock prints depicting the "floating world" of everyday pleasures, fashion, and beauty. This page, part of a series celebrating Japanese women, likely portrays a figure engaged in grooming—evident from the tags highlighting hair, women, and mirrors—capturing the elegance of feminine rituals in urban life. Crafted as a monochrome woodblock print (sumizuri-e) in ink on paper, the work measures just 6½ by 6⅞ inches, perfect for intimate album viewing. Moronobu's masterful use of subtle ink gradations and fine lines conveys texture in flowing hair and reflective surfaces, showcasing early innovations in printmaking that laid the groundwork for later color ukiyo-e masters like Hiroshige and Utamaro. These affordable prints democratized art, bringing high-style imagery to merchants and commoners alike. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Department from the H.O. Havemeyer Collection, this leaf reflects Japan's rich tradition of bijin-ga (beautiful women portraits), blending realism with idealized beauty to evoke poise and transience in a peaceful era. A charming window into 17th-century aesthetics!

About the Artist

Hishikawa Moronobu 菱川師宣 (Japanese) · 1618 –1694

Japanese, 1618–1694