Fine Art Poster
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A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
No. 11, Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry - Kitagawa Utamaro
Regular price
$29.00 USD
Sale price
$29.00 USD
Regular price
Archival giclée
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Description
A woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicting women engaged in the traditional Japanese silk-reeling process.
This woodblock print is part of the series Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry (Joshoku kaiko tewaza-gusa), produced by Kitagawa Utamaro during the late eighteenth century. The series documents the various stages of silk production, a process central to the economy of Edo-period Japan. Utamaro focuses on the labour of women, depicting them with the elongated proportions and graceful posture characteristic of his mature style.
In this specific composition, two women are shown attending to the silk-reeling process. One figure stands, holding a tool, while the other sits at a wooden frame, guiding a thread from a basin. The artist employs a restrained colour palette, allowing the focus to remain on the fluid lines of the figures and the structural elements of the equipment. The inclusion of calligraphic text in the upper section provides context for the specific stage of sericulture being performed, integrating the written word with the visual narrative.
Utamaro was a master of the bijin-ga genre, which typically depicted beautiful women. Here, he applies that aesthetic to a domestic and industrial setting. The print demonstrates his ability to balance decorative pattern, such as the kimono textiles, with the functional reality of the work being performed. The composition is structured to guide the eye across the workspace, connecting the two figures through their shared task. This work offers a view into the daily lives of women in the late Edo period, capturing a moment of quiet concentration within a larger cycle of production.
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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.
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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
Complete The Look
No. 11, Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry - Kitagawa Utamaro
Regular price
From $29.00 USD
Sale price
From $29.00 USD
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Utamaro was arrested in 1804 for making prints depicting the sixteenth-century military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was manacled for fifty days. He died two years later, at roughly fifty-three. The connection between the punishment and the death is debated, but the timing suggests something broke.
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.
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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Fine Art Framed
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The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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