Young Woman Holding a Bowl with a Goldfish
Artist
Kiyostune Torii
(Japanese, active 1757–1779)
Dateabout 1769
MediumWoodblock print, ink and color on paper; nishiki-e; hashira-e
Dimensions67.7 x 12.3 cm (26 5/8 x 4 13/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.188
DescriptionA standing woman in a pink kimono holds up a glass globe in which two goldfish are swimming for a young boy who clings to her skirts to look at. Upon the field about her head a short ode is printedLabel TextTORII KIYOTSUNE (active 1757-79) Young Woman Holding a Bowl with a Goldfish About 1769 Artist's signature: Kiyotsune ga (drawn by Kiyotsune) Woodblock print, ink and color on paper; nishiki-e; hashira-e John Chandler Bancroft Collection, 1901.188 A beautiful young woman, holding a round fan with an iris design, is dangling a small glass bowl with two goldfish, kingyo, above the head of a small boy. She may have bought them from a street-vendor carrying kingyo-filled buckets suspended over the shoulder on a carrying pole or, more likely, she may have scooped them up with a fragile paper or wafer scoop in a game called kingyo sukui played at summer festival stalls. The design playfully complements a humorous verse, with wordplay, which suggests the coolness of shady trees on a hot summer day: ProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft, Boston, MA
On View
Not on view
