Shinchi in Winter: Before the Mirror, no. 4 from the series Seasons of the Pleasure Quarters

Artists

Description

A woodblock print depicting a Japanese woman entertainer from the Osaka entertainment district of Shinchi. The female figure is depicted adjusting her hair in front of a mirror. The back of the grey mirror takes up the bottom right quadrant of the print. The female figure’s face is partially obscured by the mirror. She stares frontally. She wears a red kimono with a pattern of red flowers with black leaves and stems. Her arms and hands are raised above her head as she adjusts the comb in her hair. The background is made up of silver mica powder.

Dimensions

H. 39.3 cm × W. 26.4 cm (15 1/2 × 10 3/8 in.)

Provenance

[Andre Bardega, London & Brighton, UK (by c. early 1980s)], sold; to [The Japanese Print Shop, York, UK (c. early 1980s)], sold; to Trevor Ward, York, UK (c. 1980s -2021), sold; to [The Japanese Print Shop, York, UK (2021-2022)], sold; to [Scholten Japanese Art, New York (2022-2025)], sold; to Harvard Art Museums, 2025.