Two Beauties

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Utamaro, the well-known ukiyo-e painter and printmaker, was a disciple of the Kano artist Toriyama Sekien (1712–1788). In this work, a well-dressed girl from a wealthy merchant family is contrasted with a seated woman wearing a simple cotton kimono that is open at the breast. In the Chinese-style couplet inscribed at the upper left by Ubu Kanjin, two butterflies stand in for the two beauties: It is strange how a pair of butterflies Come fluttering towards me, fly away, then return. Perhaps they wish to enter through my gauze window. It is as if a spring breeze is forcing open the window And filling the room with the spirit of spring.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art