86 Kitagawa Utamaro 1753 – 1806 Reading Beauty

Japan, 1930s (after an original Edo-period design)

This immensely elegant and intimate scene is a high-quality, hand-printed period reprint from the 1930s. It is based on a classic design by the legendary master of beauty portraits, Kitagawa Utamaro. The print depicts a young woman seated on the floor, deeply and quietly absorbed in reading a book. She is accompanied only by the soft light of a traditional paper floor lantern (andon) in the background and a few other folded volumes resting at her feet. As Japanese tradition suggests, quiet autumn evenings are the ideal time to immerse oneself in literature and art. Although it is a scaled-down reproduction, the sheet excels in its craftsmanship, beautifully capturing the texture of the kimono and the elegant lines of the woman's hairstyle. Furthermore, this print boasts an exceptional provenance, originating from the famous interwar collection of the Czech painter and promoter of Asian art, Prof. Vojtěch Chytil.