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. 6, 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 from his series on the silk industry, depicting women at work with silkworm cocoons.
This woodblock print belongs to the series Joshoku kaiko tewaza-gusa, or Women Engaged in the Sericulture Industry, produced by Kitagawa Utamaro in the late 1790s. The series documents the various stages of silk production, a vital economic activity in Edo-period Japan. Utamaro, known for his mastery of the bijin-ga genre, applies his characteristic focus on the female form to a domestic and industrial context.
The composition depicts three women occupied with the care of silkworms. The figures are arranged around wooden trays filled with cocoons, which are stacked on simple tables. The woman on the left pauses to wipe her eye, while her companions continue the task of sorting or inspecting the harvest. Utamaro uses his signature elongated proportions to define the figures, giving them a sense of grace despite the manual nature of their work. The use of line is precise, defining the folds of their kimono and the texture of the wooden trays.
Textual elements are integrated into the upper portion of the print, providing context for the specific stage of sericulture being shown. The colour palette is restrained, relying on soft greens, muted purples, and the natural tone of the paper to create a sense of harmony. This print offers a view into the daily lives of women in the late eighteenth century, moving beyond the typical focus on courtesans found in much of the Ukiyo-e output of the time. The work demonstrates the technical skill of the carvers and printers who collaborated with Utamaro to produce these multi-block impressions. It remains a clear example of the artist's ability to elevate everyday labour into a subject of aesthetic interest.
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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
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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. 6, 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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