Artwork Page for Court Ladies Making Dolls

Details / Information for Court Ladies Making Dolls

Court Ladies Making Dolls

1790s

attributed to Kubo Shunman 窪 俊満

(Japanese, 1757–1820)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
color woodblock print
Credit Line
Gift of Myrta Leonora Jones 1922.175
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Myrta Leonora Jones, the donor of this work, was a women’s rights activist in Cleveland in the early 20th century.

Description

Since ancient times dolls were used in Japan for religious purposes, especially for the healing of impurities or illness. Mothers often presented dolls to shrines to secure the protection of kami (spirits) for their children. Each year there is a doll festival (Hina Matsuri) or Girl's Festival on March 3rd at which families display heirloom sets of dolls dressed in costumes of the ancient imperial court. This is a section of a surimono (a print in which an image is combined with poetry to celebrate a special event) or an album page.
A vertically oriented woodblock print on beige-brown paper depicts five people with light skin tones. At the lower right, two men in peaked black hats kneel behind a diagonal screen decorated with green pine trees. Beyond the partition, three women with long black hair and voluminous, layered robes sit on a green floor. To the left sits a black cabinet. Outside a sliding door, a gnarled tree grows behind a wooden terrace.

Court Ladies Making Dolls

1790s

Kubo Shunman

(Japanese, 1757–1820)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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