Fan Vendor

Kitagawa Utamaro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fan vendors in Edo were reputedly fashionable, handsome boys who attracted girls' attention. This seems to be the case here, where the vendor is showing a fan painted with the face of the Zen master Daruma to a beautiful young woman. Utamaro, however, has depicted the painting on the fan with such vigor that the Daruma seems as animated as the figures in this scene. With his finger in his mouth in a traditional gesture of envy, he appears to be beside himself with jealousy over the flirting young couple. The picture within the picture of the venerable first patriarch of Zen Buddhism caught in a humorous foible adds to the light-hearted eroticism of the scene.

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