| Notes (this edition)?: |
| The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies:
Thursday, 25 June 2009
TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI (1839 - 1892) AT ONE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON: A GEISHA IS BLACKENING HER TEETH
Woodcut, 1880, from the series 'Twenty-Four Hours at Shinbashi and Yanagibashi'. Signed 'Oju Yoshitoshi ga', artist's seal. Very good impression and colours, slightly toned and soiled, wrinkled, a few creases, otherwise in good condition. 'Oban', 350 x 240 mm.
This series follows the pattern of previous print series by artists such as Utamaro, depicting beautiful women engaged in pursuits at different hours of the day, but the use of the 24-hour clock gave the series a modern ring, as Japan had only recently moved from the Chinese zodiacal system. Shinbashi and Yanagibashi were the two most popular entertainment districts of Tokyo during the early Meiji period. In this series Yoshitoshi interpreted each hour of a geisha’s day. All the women in the series are geisha, except for the woman in this print who has retired from the profession of geisha to become a wife. Blackened teeth were considered attractive (visible teeth were regarded as improper) and were usually the mark of a married woman.
From:
http://www.mattiajona.com/schede/yoshitoshi24mirror.html#Anchor121247 |
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