(Untitled), from the series Pictures of ladies' etiquette
Tokyo: c1893. Wooblock tryptich printed in colors on hand laid mulberry paper, 14 3/4 x 29 inches (375 x 737 mm), the full sheet. Meiji period. In very good condition with extensive and saturated coloration. Some minor edge wear with remnants of non-archival tape at each of the four corners on the verso. Presented in a modern, ornate gilt wood frame.
This triptych depicts upper-class ladies in an interior setting: the hostess is about to write something while servants entertain guests with tea and sweets. In line with the increasing concern of Japanese government officials to teach moral values to the new generation in the early 1890s, a number of books were published concerning proper behaviour for women. Serving as manuals, many of those were entitled “Ladies’ Etiquette” ('Onna Reishiki') and described how women, especially those of the upper-class, should dress and act in various social events, giving them detailed instructions on the proper way to sit, bow, serve tea, welcome guests, how to spend their past time etc. Great attention has been paid to the rich colour and pattern of the kimono, suggesting that these prints might have functioned as fashion plates for wealthy ladies.
—Asian Art Department, AGNSW, December 2008.
Item number: 1626
Price: $600.00
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