cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1727438

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We see an elegant beauty focused on a letter as she walks in high geta in light rain. The design creates a clever comparison with Ono no Komachi–a celebrated poet of the Heian (9th c.) court, as well as a woman of legendary beauty. The theme of “Seven Komachi“ relates to the famous nana (seven) legendary acts of Komachi (ca. 825-ca. 900), and variations on this theme were used as inspiration by ukiyo-e artists since the time of Harunobu.

Here we see an early 19th century beauty holding her partly open umbrella against the rain, focused on the letter she holds in her hand. Although it is not open, we can sense the importance of the letter, which must surely be a love letter. The fugitive purple on her umbrella is completely unfaded, and the light blue on the flowing stream on the lower part of her kimono is also extant. The orange lead (tan) on the cartouche has oxidized, and flowers surround the the cartouche in a springtime burst of pink.