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Brocade Prints of the Thirty-six Poetesses (Nishiki zuri onna sanjūrokkasen 錦摺女三十六歌仙)

Hosoda, Eishi, 1756-1829 · 1801 · Edo : Nishimuraya Yohachi,西村屋與八; Eijudō, 英寿堂 · 34 pictures

A brocade-printed Japanese woodblock album from Edo, made in 1801 by the artist Hosoda Eishi and published by Nishimuraya Yohachi and Eijudō for a collector's audience. Each leaf pairs a full-length image of a court poetess in patterned robes with a calligraphic waka poem panel on the facing page. For designers, the pictures show layered kimono patterns, textured brocade-like surfaces, and the balance of figure and handwritten text on a plain ground.

Women poets, Japanese · Kimonos

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