On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Tree of Beauty (utsukushigi)

Woodblock Print
1847-52
Artist/Maker
Utagawa Hiroshige (artist)
Place of origin
Japan (made)
Edo

Woodblock print. Ōban format, nishiki-e (full-colour print). Figure.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Make-Up
Object type
Woodblock print
Titles
  • Tree of Beauty (utsukushigi) (assigned by artist)
  • Money Trees for Virtuous Women (series title)
  • Money Trees for Virtuous Women (Fukutoku kane no naru ki) (series title)
Materials and techniques
Woodblock print on paper
Paper
Printing
Woodcutting
Woodblock Print
Brief description
Woodblock print, 'Tree of Beauty' from the series 'Money Trees for Virtuous Women' by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Edo (Tokyo), Japan, 1847-52.
Physical description
Woodblock print. Ōban format, nishiki-e (full-colour print). Figure.
Dimensions
  • Height: 38.8cm
  • Width: 24.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 「婦久徳金の成木」 (Series title)
    Translation
    Money Trees for Virtuous Women
    Transliteration
    'Fukutoku kane no naru ki'
  • 「うつくし木」 (Title)
    Translation
    Tree of Beauty
    Transliteration
    'utsukushigi'
  • 「広重画」 (Artist signature)
    Transliteration
    'Hiroshige ga'
Gallery label
(31/5/2022)
During the Edo period (1615–1868), pictures of beautiful women carefully putting on their make-up were in high demand. Here a young woman in a yukata, an informal cotton garment, applies white powder to her face. Flawless pale skin was considered an essential part of female beauty. The red porcelain cup on the floor contains beni rouge, which the woman would have used to colour her lips.
Object history
Purchased from S. M. Franck & Co., accessioned in 1886. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Associated objects
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
E.4491A-1886

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O409825/tree-of-beauty-utsukushigi-woodblock-print-utagawa-hiroshige/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest