Standing Bijin

Artist Kakiemon

Dateabout 1680–1690

Mediumwhite porcelain decorated with enamels

Dimensions39.5 cm (15 9/16 in.)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineThe E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Stoddard Acquisition Fund

Terms

Object number1998.182

Label TextThis outstanding porcelain figure is a typical product of the Kakiemon family of porcelain decorators and potters who worked in the Arita region of Kyushu, the southernmost Japanese island. The Kakiemon family came to prominence in the late seventeenth century with the finest and whitest porcelain body and glaze made in the Arita area and a distinctive style of brilliant overglaze enamel painting. Until the middle of the seventeenth century fashion innovation was largely set by the upper classes and imitated by those lower on the social ladder. In the second half of the century, new styles moved upward from the lower classes. Respectable women blindly copied fashions set by high-class prostitutes from the pleasure quarters and male actors who portrayed women (onnagata) on the kabuki stage. The flamboyant kimono worn by this woman suggests that she is an entertainer—a prostitute or dancer. The bold patterns of her garments capture the general taste of the time, but they neither imitate specific textile designs nor the techniques for executing them. The Kakiemon porcelain painter demonstrated his virtuosity in the bold polka dots of the kimono and the large asymmetrical blue and green ribbons spread across the back of the outer robe (uchikake). The colors in these garments were more than eye-pleasing to the Edo period (1600-1868) viewer. In Edo Japanese, a woman who “has color” (irokke ga aru) was sexy. A garment that had color (iro ari) was one that contained the color red, which was felt to be charming and alluring. The restrictive sumptuary law of 1683 specified red as being off-limits to the merchant class. Lax enforcement of these laws made possible the flamboyant and luxurious clothing of the late seventeenth century with its palette of varied and bright hues. The use of half-hidden forbidden colors, such as the red lining seen here in the outer robe (uchikake) and red undergarment (revealed at the neck and at the foot with a seductive flick as the woman walked), implied restrained suggestiveness.ProvenanceThurn and Taxis collection, Regensburg, Germany

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