Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806) | The Haughty One (Koman) | Edo period, late 18th century

This print is from a series of ten known designs, each depicting a half-length portrait of a type of woman combined with words as might have been spoken by each. The series title cartouche on each print is surrounded by a border of different flowers, which link to the title “Variegations of Blooms According to their Speech”.

For further reading see Shugo Asano and Timothy Clark, The Passionate Art of Kitagawa Utamaro, (London, 1995), cat. nos. 402 – 405.