Chinese Beauties at a Banquet - Kitagawa Utamaro
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Description
A refined Ukiyo-e triptych by Kitagawa Utamaro, depicting women in an imagined Chinese setting, characterised by delicate line work and a muted colour palette.
This triptych by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts a scene of leisure set within an imagined Chinese architectural environment. Utamaro, a master of the Ukiyo-e tradition, is widely recognised for his depictions of women, often focusing on their grace and the subtle nuances of their social interactions. In this composition, the artist employs a multi-panel format to expand the narrative space, allowing for a detailed exploration of both the figures and their surroundings.
The scene features several women engaged in musical performance and conversation. Their attire, while stylised to fit the exoticised Chinese theme popular in Edo-period Japan, retains the characteristic elegance of Utamaro's portraiture. The figures are arranged across a veranda that overlooks a calm body of water, with distant mountains providing a sense of depth. The use of architectural elements, such as the latticed screens and hanging lanterns, frames the subjects and directs the viewer's eye across the three sheets.
Technically, the print demonstrates the precision of the woodblock medium. The lines are fine and controlled, defining the folds of the garments and the delicate features of the faces. The colour palette is restrained, relying on soft ochres, muted greens, and subtle earth tones to create a cohesive atmosphere. The composition balances the human activity in the foreground with the expansive, quiet nature of the background. This work reflects the period's fascination with foreign cultures, filtered through the specific aesthetic conventions of the Japanese printmaking tradition. It remains a clear example of the artist's ability to construct complex, multi-figure narratives within the constraints of the woodblock format, maintaining a sense of poise and order throughout the scene.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Chinese Beauties at a Banquet - Kitagawa Utamaro
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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