Comments - Lovely portrait of a beauty after a bath, her striped robe wrapped loosely about her. She holds a round fan in one hand as she looks out over the verandah at the leaves falling towards a rippling stream below. A patterned kimono is draped over a screen behind her, and a tie-dyed towel hangs over a small stand to dry. The verse above by the poet Fujiwara no Toshiyuki reads:

Though nothing showed
Too clearly to my eyes
That fall had come
I was startled
By the sound of the autumn wind.

An attractive design in a larger format than is usual for Harunobu reprints.

Woodblock reprints - In the 20th century, artists and publishers collaborated to recreate famous woodblock prints for interested Japanese collectors and Westerners looking for rare designs. New blocks were made, and the prints were painstakingly printed by artisan printers in the same method as the 19th century originals - one block for each color. Woodblock reprints were an opportunity to collect and enjoy a famous design at a small fraction of the price of an original. They still are today.

Artist - Harunobu (1724 - 1770)

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

Condition - With excellent color and detail. Please see photos for details.