Beauty in Snow

Details

Description

This Japanese ukiyo-e artwork depicts a young woman walking in the snow, created by the Edo-period artist Isoda Koryūsai.

Artist: … Read more This Japanese ukiyo-e artwork depicts a young woman walking in the snow, created by the Edo-period artist Isoda Koryūsai.

Artist: Isoda Koryūsai (礒田湖龍齋, 1735–1790)

Title / Subject: Young Woman with Umbrella Walking in Snow (Yukimi Bijin / Beauty in Snow)
Period / Date: Edo Period (original design c. 1770s)

Medium: Japanese woodblock print (nishiki-e)

Key Details
Signature & Seal: The bottom-left kanji reads 湖龍齋 画 (Koryūsai ga, meaning "Drawn by Koryūsai") with the red artist's seal visible underneath.

Iconography: The print shows a young woman (bijin) wearing a white hood (azuma-gatsugi) and multilayered kimono, shielding herself under a heavy, snow-covered oil-paper umbrella (wagasa). This motif was popular in mid-Edo period art, drawing inspiration from Suzuki Harunobu's aesthetic and the Noh/Kabuki dance theme The Heron Maiden (Sagi Musume).

Print Type: While the original block print was designed in the late 18th century, framed copies in this condition are often 20th-century woodblock re-strikes or facsimile reproductions created for collectors and modern display. See less