Iwai Kumesaburo III als Tamamo no Mae 1862

Editor: This intriguing woodblock print, "Iwai Kumesaburo III als Tamamo no Mae" by Utagawa Kunisada from 1862, shows a figure holding a fan. What stands out to me is the texture in the garment – it looks incredibly ornate. What's your take on this, seeing as it's now in the Rijksmuseum's collection? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the materiality of the print itself, a *ukiyo-e*, a floating world picture, and the production process that brought it to life. Look at the registration of colors, the way each block must have been carved with meticulous care. It's a mass produced object, relatively speaking, intended for a specific social context. How do you think this print would have been consumed? Editor: Probably traded or sold to theater-goers as a souvenir. So, the accessibility of this print contrasts with the high status often associated with portraiture, doesn’t it? Curator: Exactly. Consider the labor involved: the artist, the block carver, the printer – a whole system of production. And let’s not forget the paper itself, its source, the pulping and pressing processes. It moves us away from this singular genius, towards a network of makers and distributors, embedded within a wider socio-economic structure of 19th century Japan. Editor: I hadn't considered the supply chains involved! The choice of wood, inks and dyes. It does change my perception entirely. Curator: It decenters the art object in favour of focusing our understanding on how art, like all objects, exists as a result of very real social processes and networks of making, trading and vending. Editor: That’s such a compelling way to see it, it reframes my idea of how ‘precious’ this type of artwork should be regarded. Thanks!