Takigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties - Kitagawa Utamaro
Archival giclée
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Description
A classic ōkubi-e portrait by Kitagawa Utamaro, featuring the courtesan Takigawa of the Ōgiya in a refined, minimalist woodblock print style.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts Takigawa, a high-ranking courtesan from the Ōgiya house in the Yoshiwara district of Edo. It belongs to the series titled 'A Selection of Eastern Beauties' (Tōsei bijin erami), a collection that established the artist's reputation for the 'ōkubi-e' or large-head portrait style. By focusing on the upper torso and face, Utamaro captures the specific features and personality of his subject rather than merely presenting a generic ideal of beauty.
Takigawa is shown in profile, holding a thin pipe to her lips. Her hair is styled in an elaborate fashion, adorned with numerous hairpins that draw the eye upward. The composition is minimalist, relying on clean lines and a restrained colour palette to direct attention to the subject's expression and posture. The background is a soft, neutral tone, which allows the subtle patterns on her kimono and the dark mass of her hair to provide visual contrast.
Utamaro was a master of the Ukiyo-e genre, particularly known for his ability to convey the psychological state of women within the pleasure quarters. His work often utilised delicate line work to define the contours of the face and neck, creating a sense of grace and refinement. This print demonstrates his technical skill in woodblock printing, where the registration of colours and the precision of the carved lines are essential to the final aesthetic. The inclusion of the artist's signature and the series title in the margins provides context for the print's origin within the competitive publishing environment of late eighteenth-century Japan. This piece remains a clear example of the aesthetic priorities of the Edo period, where the depiction of fashionable figures was a primary concern for both artists and the public.
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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
Takigawa of the Ōgiya from the series A Selection of Eastern Beauties - 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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