ALLEN MEMORIAL ART MUSEUM 59 Kitao Shigemasa 北尾重政 (Japanese, 1739–1820) AutumnMoonof theMirror Stand, from an untitled series of Eight Views, late 1760s Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper MaryA. AinsworthBequest, 1950.290 A popular theme called the “Eight Parlor Views” (Zashiki hakkei 座敷八景) offered a witty domestic interpretation of the traditional Eight Views themes. In this scene, Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand (Kyōdai no shūgetsu 鏡台の秋月), a woman gazes into her roundmirror, creatingmultiple layers of meaning. The landscape painting of a lakeshore behind her suggests the original Autumn Moon over Lake Dòngtíng theme, while the location of the mirror may imply the moon’s reflection in water. On a sliding door on the woman’s right, the title and a poem with the words “autumn” 秋 and “moon” 月 ensure that the viewer does not miss the Eight Views allusion. Her pale, round face completes the metaphor as the “real” moon, cleverly connecting everyday beauty routines with classical landscape themes.
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