Amusements of Kabuki Actors of the "Third Floor" [Dressing Room] (Yakusha sangaikyō), by Shikitei Sanba

Utagawa, Toyokuni, 1769-1825 · 1801 · Japan : [producer not identified] · 8 pictures

This is an 1801 Japanese illustrated book by Shikitei Sanba with pictures by Utagawa Toyokuni, published in Japan for a general readership interested in the kabuki theatre world. The spreads show kabuki actors, attendants and visitors in their dressing rooms and at the theatre, with the pictures drawn as woodblock prints. A designer could take from them the compact, layered interior compositions framed by sliding screens and wooden lattice, along with the restrained palette of pale yellow, grey and muted red.

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library