Yoshitoshi's Thirty-two Aspects of Women - Yoshitoshi's finest series of bijin-ga or pictures of beautiful women, "Thirty-two Aspects of Women" features portraits of beauties in a lighthearted reference to the thirty-two notable features of Buddha. The women depicted come from all social classes, representing beauties from the late 18th century through Yoshitoshi's own time.

Each design captures a woman in a scene from daily life, realistically and sensitively portrayed as individuals rather than idealized figures. Elegant fabrics are beautifully rendered, and hairstyles and facial features are drawn with the most delicate of lines. The series was beautifully printed using deluxe techniques, such as soft bokashi shading, embossing, and burnishing, creating some of the finest prints of the Meiji era.

"Thirty-two Aspects" proved popular with the public when first published, and has been appreciated by viewers and collectors ever since. Designs in this fantastic series are some of the most highly sought after woodblocks of the Meiji era, and are certainly considered masterworks of Yoshitoshi's career.

Observant: the appearance of a Kyoto waitress in the Meiji era, No. 25 - A wonderful summer scene in a Kyoto restaurant, the bamboo blinds rolled up to take advantage of the cool evening breeze. The young waitress has noticed an untrimmed candle wick in one of the paper lanterns, and she busily takes out a metal hairpin to adjust it. Her loosely worn summer kimono features a large palm leaf pattern, beautifully carved and printed to reproduce the original brushstrokes and subtle gradations of Yoshitoshi's design. Her elaborate hairstyle is very finely detailed and the kimono is faintly embossed. A beautiful image from the series.

Artist - Yoshitoshi (1839 - 1892)

Image Size - 13 3/4" x 9 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent detail as shown. Small loss at top left corner, a few small wormholes, slight thinning at upper right edge, repaired. Toning, slight soiling. Please see photos for details.