Hanaōgi of Ōgiya from the series Picture Puzzles - Kitagawa Utamaro
Archival giclée
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Description
A refined woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro featuring the courtesan Hanaōgi, known for its elegant lines and subtle colour palette.
This woodblock print by Kitagawa Utamaro depicts the celebrated courtesan Hanaōgi of the Ōgiya house. Utamaro was a master of the bijin-ga genre, which focused on the portrayal of beautiful women. In this composition, the subject is rendered with the artist's characteristic elongated proportions and refined facial features. Her posture is gentle, with her gaze directed downward as she handles a length of fabric. The print belongs to the series titled Picture Puzzles, or 'Mitate-e', which often incorporated visual puns or riddles for the viewer to decipher. In the upper left corner, a small cartouche contains a series of symbols and fans, providing the puzzle element that was popular among the urban population of Edo-period Japan. The colour palette is restrained, relying on soft pinks, muted greens, and earthy tones that have aged gracefully over time. The kimono features a subtle pattern of cranes, a motif associated with longevity and grace. Utamaro uses fine, controlled lines to define the folds of the fabric and the intricate arrangement of the subject's hair, which is adorned with several hairpins. The background is kept simple, ensuring the focus remains entirely on the figure. This print demonstrates the technical skill involved in the ukiyo-e process, where multiple woodblocks were carved and printed to achieve the final image. The work provides a glimpse into the aesthetic values of the Yoshiwara pleasure district, where the most fashionable and high-ranking courtesans were treated as celebrities. By capturing the quiet, introspective moment of the subject, Utamaro moves beyond simple portraiture to suggest a narrative quality within the print.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. EU customers have a 14-day cooling-off right. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Hanaōgi of Ōgiya from the series Picture Puzzles - Kitagawa Utamaro
Our Features
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Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Choose poster, framed print, canvas or framed canvas
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
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Artist Biography
Kitagawa Utamaro
Almost nothing is certain about his early life. He was born around 1753, possibly in Edo, possibly in Kyoto, possibly in Kawagoe. He began publishing prints in the 1770s under the guidance of the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, who recognised what Utamaro could do with a portrait of a woman.
What he could do was unprecedented. He invented the okubi-e format: large head-and-shoulders portraits of individual women, mostly from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, printed in close-up with minimal background. Before Utamaro, bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) showed groups of figures in full length. He isolated the face, the tilt of the head, the expression. The prints are psychologically specific in a way that had not existed in Japanese printmaking.
He also published books of insect studies and volumes of shunga (erotica), and he made portraits of ordinary town women, not just courtesans. Ohisa and Okita, two shopgirls who appeared in his Three Beauties of the Present Day, became famous across Edo because of his prints. He turned real people into celebrities, which may be the first documented instance of an artist functioning as a kind of media platform.
Tsutaya Juzaburo died in 1797. Utamaro was reportedly devastated. Some critics feel his work never reached the same level afterward. He produced over two thousand prints in his career.
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