The woman seated in front of a dressing table and mirror with a blue towel is the artist’s lover, Nakatani Tsuru. A modern beauty, she closely holds her sheer summer kimono and gazes at the viewer in a pose that pays homage to artist Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806). The delicate flower-diamond patterns on the figure’s robe and the rendering of her hairline and body, visible through the thin fabric, demonstrate Goyō’s exceptional skills.
Artist: Hashiguchi Goyō
Title: Women in Summer Kimono
Date: 1920
Format: Oban; woodblock printed on paper
 
Very good condition, color, and impression. We have seen other impressions of this design with the mica ground peeling off. Our theory is that because the ground was printed (yellow) that this caused the mica to adhere poorly. The previous owner scraped all of the remaining mica off except for the signature and seal, as both were printed on top of the mica.