Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Japan, Room 45, The Toshiba Gallery

Beautiful Tree

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

Woodblock print depicting a central figure on plain ground. Turned away from the observer, the figure kneels and looks in to the mirror before her. In the top-left, a branch with yellow flowers.


Object details

Categories
Prints
Make-Up
Object type
Woodblock print
Titles
  • Beautiful Tree (assigned by artist)
  • Money Trees for Virtuous Women (series title)
Materials and techniques
Woodblock print on paper
Paper
Printing
Woodcutting
Woodblock Print
Brief description
Woodblock print, 'Beautiful Tree' from the series 'Fukutoku Kanenonaruki' by Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826-1869), Japan
Physical description
Woodblock print depicting a central figure on plain ground. Turned away from the observer, the figure kneels and looks in to the mirror before her. In the top-left, a branch with yellow flowers.
Dimensions
  • Height: 38.8cm
  • Width: 24.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Utsukushigi (Picture title)
    Translation
    Beautiful Tree
  • Fukutoku kane no naru ki (Series title)
    Translation
    Money Trees for Virtuous Women
  • Hiroshige ga (Signature)
    Translation
    Designed by Hiroshige
Gallery label
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.(31/5/2022)
Object history
Concerning the money-growing tree which produces wealth and showing examples of industrious women engaged in various occupations.
Publisher; Aritaya.
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.
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
E.4491A-1886

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O409825/beautiful-tree-woodblock-print-utagawa-hiroshige/
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