Needlework

Women in summer dress are tailoring summer kimono. The way one peers through the pattern of the gauze, and the way two women work together to cut a bolt of cloth, are both realistic and graceful.

Small props such as the sewing box and scissors are carefully drawn, and the gestures of the child and the cat are charming. In the sheet shown here, a woman holds up and spreads a piece of black gauze while a small child crawls at her feet. A lidded box sits at right, and scissors can be seen on the floor.

This is an early-summer scene typical of Utamaro, who put care into ordinary daily life. A triptych joins three large sheets into one wide scene. This work is a large-format color woodblock triptych designated an Important Art Object.