The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 14, 2025

Elegant Pleasures of the Four Seasons

c. 1782

attributed to Kitagawa Utamaro

(Japanese, 1753?-1806)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Sheet: 26.1 x 39.1 cm (10 1/4 x 15 3/8 in.)
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.196
Location: Not on view

Description

The title of this print suggests a series of four, but only this wintry print is known. A boy has dropped his toy wrestlers as he is hoisted up to a woman who has been enjoying a book at the heated table. Her companion buries her head beneath the blanket to stay warm, her bare feet exposed by a girl tending the hot coals in the pit in the floor.
  • Charles B. Eddy Collection
    (Yamanaka & Co.)
    Edward L. Whittemore
  • Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - January-July 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art (January 9-July 10, 2017).
    Transformations in Japanese Printmaking. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 25-December 30, 1984).
    Japanese Prints from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 5-October 28, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Elegant Pleasures of the Four Seasons|url=false|author=Kitagawa Utamaro|year=c. 1782|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.196