BEAUTIFUL WOMAN FROM THE MARUYAMA DISTRICT, FROM THE SERIES COMPENDIUM OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN (Bijin fÅ«zoku awase) c. 19th century

Editor: Here we have Utagawa Hiroshige's "Beautiful Woman from the Maruyama District." It feels so poised and observant, and that lantern seems to be speaking volumes. How do you interpret this scene? Curator: For me, it evokes the fleeting beauty of the Edo period. The woman's elaborate kimono and hairstyle speak to her status, but there’s also a sense of melancholy, a captured moment of grace tinged with impermanence. It makes me wonder what stories her eyes hold. Editor: Impermanence, that's interesting. So much detail, yet so much left unsaid.