Woodblock Print by Chikanobu Toyohara: Bunkyuu From Jidai Kagami or Mirror of the Ages, Framed

Her red collar and patterned hair ornament carry the color, and her eyes carry the mood.

Bunkyuu from Jidai Kagami or Mirror of the Ages is a framed woodblock print by Chikanobu Toyohara (1838-1912), from Japan, dated 1897. It is ink on paper. In his Jidai Kagami series, Chikanobu illustrated the hairstyles and dress of Japanese women through the ages, each set beside a vignette of daily life. Here a woman with a sweeping coiffure and a pink patterned ornament looks down and away, wearing a bright red collar over a dark kimono. An inset above shows a boat at a quay and figures along the water in soft tones. It is 20.5 inches wide and 25 high.

A glance from another century, still perfectly in style.