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Woman making a sand painting
Public domain

Woman making a sand painting

Utagawa Kunisada (I) · 1820 · color woodcut; paper

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

A seated woman (actor Segawa Kikunojô V (1802-32) in an unknown female role), making a sand painting on a sheet of lacquerware. Next to the painting lie two spoons, a wooden spatula, and far left a lacquer box. The painting depicts Mount Fuji, seen from the beach of Matsu no Shimabara. The cloud next to Fuji, in the shape of a dragon, refers to the Year of the Dragon. Making sand paintings was a beloved pastime for women from the 1820s, perhaps earlier. With two poems.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Subjects
printsurimono
Credit lineVrouw maakt een zandschilderij. 1820. Utagawa Kunisada (I). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
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