当世好男子伝」松 「九紋竜支進に比すのざらし語助」三代目市川市蔵|The Actor Ichikawa Ichizō III as Nozarashi Gosuke, likened to Shi Jin the Nine Dragoned (Kyūmonryū Shishin ni hisu), from the “Pine” triptych of the series A Modern Water Margin (Tōsei suikoden)

当世好男子伝」松 「九紋竜支進に比すのざらし語助」三代目市川市蔵|The Actor Ichikawa Ichizō III as Nozarashi Gosuke, likened to Shi Jin the Nine Dragoned (Kyūmonryū Shishin ni hisu), from the “Pine” triptych of the series A Modern Water Margin (Tōsei suikoden)

Utagawa Kunisada

1854

ink

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a man in a purple robe with bold red and black dragon patterns. His face is serious, with a small mustache and dark hair tied back. The robe has white dots and a mix of gold and red accents. In the background, there’s a dark sky with a few feathers floating. The text labels say this is a character from a story, dressed like a warrior. The print is part of a series about famous people, but it’s also a portrait of an actor. Next, look up actor to see how theater and art mixed in old Japanese prints.

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