Beauty Looking at the Moon

A standing woman in a richly patterned kimono with a dark obi turns her face upward toward a pale full moon in the empty upper field. She holds a folded fan at her side, and a lattice screen stands at the right edge beside a low step. The soft ink and color on silk give the scene a quiet, nocturnal stillness.

Look closer: A small red seal stamp sits low on the right edge, near the step.

Artist

Katsukawa Shunchō

Date

18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1322 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936