Two Ladies, Each with a Portion of a Lacquered Mirror

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Utamaro selectively used reflection to reinforce narrative and to emphasize themes. In this print, a standing woman holds up a mirror to a seated woman. Ironically, Utamaro chose to show the standing woman's reflection in the lacquered back of the mirror rather than the seated woman's in the mirror itself. The image involves a dual relationship: two women hold halves of the same object and perform a similar action. Their mimicking of each other duplicates the role of the mirror, which Utamaro placed between them as a communicative device.

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