Kabuki Actor Onoe Kikugorō I

ca. 1750

Not on view

This print depicts a popular Kabuki actor who specialized in female roles. Ono'e Kikugoro, dressed as a female character, sits before an alcove that is hung with a painting of him in the role of a male character. Thus, Yoshinobu uses the compositional device of a picture-within-a-picture to show two guises of the same actor, which are seemingly contemplating each other.

Artwork Details

山本義信画初代目尾上菊五郎
Title: Kabuki Actor Onoe Kikugorō I
Artist: Yamamoto Yoshinobu (Japanese, active 1745–58)
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: ca. 1750
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print (beni-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions: H. 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm); W. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
Object Number: JP2766
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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