Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) Japanese, Woodblock Print. Titled "Shaving the Nape of the Neck," originally produced roughly 1797-98. The print is from his series "Elegant Five-Needled Pine" (Fūryū goyō no matsu), which humorously compares the habits and traits of women to various styles of Japanese pine trees. Kanji on the right side of the image. 

Overall Size: 24 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. 

Sight Size: 14 1/2 x 10 in. 

Born Kitagawa Ichitaro in 1753, Kitagawa Utamaro became one of history's most celebrated ukiyo-e master designers, achieving national fame for his expressive portraits and technical innovations like mica-sheen (unmozuri) background printing. Over a prolific career producing more than 2,000 prints, his trajectory was cut short following his 1804 arrest for creating illegal prints depicting feudal ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, leading to his death two years later. By the mid-19th century, Utamaro's masterworks reached Europe, where his dramatic compositions and light interplay profoundly influenced French Impressionist painters.

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