A courtesan kneels, composing a letter with an ink brush

A courtesan kneels on a red-and-gold floor, bent over a sheet of paper and writing with a brush. She wears a white kimono patterned with a grey hexagonal lattice and a floral hem in pink, green and yellow, with a green under-collar. Beside her a low gold-trimmed stand carries a domed gold vessel, a dark drawstring pouch and a pale box beneath it. Large golden-brown feathery fronds fill the ground behind. A brushed inscription at the upper right names the house and the courtesan Utagawa; the signature and seal are at the right.

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.