Two courtesans crowned with a halo of pale hairpins

Two courtesans fill the sheet in half-length view, each crowned with a wide fan of pale hairpins radiating from black hair piled high. The upper figure wears a rust-orange kimono patterned with cherry blossom and peony over a green under-collar. The lower figure, in salmon pink, holds a round fan patterned with a green leaf against a red-and-white diamond-checked rim. A vertical title cartouche sits at the upper right, with the artist's signature and a round seal at the left.

Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1753–1806) defined the ukiyo-e portrait of women. Working with the publisher Tsutaya Jūzaburō in the 1790s, he introduced the ōkubi-e, or large-head print, which brought the viewer close enough to read a glance or a gesture, and he gave the beauties of the Yoshiwara district individual faces and names. Mica grounds, transparent textiles and fine line work made his prints the most refined of their day. His work is held by the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.