CultureJapanese
Titles
- Two Beauties Shaving Down Human Life
Date19th century
MediumHanging scroll; ink and color on silk
DimensionsSheet: 46 15/16 × 16 1/4 in. (119.2 × 41.3 cm)
Scroll: 82 1/2 × 23 1/2 in. (209.6 × 59.7 cm)
Scroll: 82 1/2 × 23 1/2 in. (209.6 × 59.7 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Maureen and Melvyn Hetzel
Object number2021.13
Current Location
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
107M Masterson Gallery
Exposé
Explore Further
Department
Asian ArtObject Type
Exhibition HistoryN/A
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
There is a very long and humorous inscription in grass script (kuzushi) which cautions the viewer against the lure and wiles of refined courtesans and how their myriad demands, both monetary and otherwise, will shorten the life of any man who falls under their spell, a warning emphasized by their use of personal grooming tools to shave down the kanji inochi (life or lifespan).
The inscription and translation will be added to the object’s physical files with TMS records updated in the future when the software platform is able to handle Japanese characters and Japanese historic scripts.
The inscription and translation will be added to the object’s physical files with TMS records updated in the future when the software platform is able to handle Japanese characters and Japanese historic scripts.
Artist seal in red.
Catalogue raisonnéN/A
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
Watanabe Seitei
mid-19th–early 20th century
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
2011.840
Nakamura Hochu
18th century
Mineral pigments and ink on paper, mounted as hanging scroll (kakejiku)
2019.261
Okamoto Toyohiko
late 18th–mid- 19th century
Hanging scroll; ink and colors on silk
2007.449
14th–15th centuries
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk, silk mount
86.301
Torii Kotondo
c. 1922–1930
Hanging scroll; ink and colors on silk
2023.297