A Beauty
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a woman in a pale kimono, her face turned slightly to the side. Her lips shine with a greenish gloss, and her teeth are blackened. This was beauty in Kyoto’s pleasure districts around 1800. The gloss came from safflower dye, and black teeth were a sign of elegance. The artist, Gion Seitoku, painted many women from these districts, focusing on small details to make them feel real. To see more of this world, look up *japan, edo period (1615–1868)*.
