Two Beauties Shaving Down Human Life

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)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Maureen and Melvyn Hetzel
Object number2021.13
Not on view

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Department
Asian Art
ProvenancePrivate collection, Japan; [Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art, Kyoto, 2020]; purchased by MFAH 2021.
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.
Artist seal in red.
Catalogue raisonnéN/A

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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