Woodblock Print by Shunsho: Beauty with Small Branches

A dancing figure caught in brown ink on thin old paper.

This Japanese woodblock print, dated to the 18th century, is ink on paper. Prints from that period commonly show actors, beauties and other popular subjects. A figure in a wide-brimmed hat stands in profile, carrying a flowering branch, with long flowing sleeves drawn in many fine lines. The sheet is narrow and tall, aged to a toasted yellow-tan, with stains, creases and losses along the edges and lower right. The faint ink has the soft look of a long exposure to light.

About 12 inches tall and 6 wide. A fragile page of history, best kept framed.