A Young Woman with a Tray of Sweetmeats 1780 - 1795

Curator: Today we're looking at Katsukawa Shuncho's "A Young Woman with a Tray of Sweetmeats," a woodblock print created sometime between 1780 and 1795. It’s currently housed here at the Metropolitan Museum. Editor: It strikes me as quite a convivial scene, even domestic. There’s a real sense of intimacy here that transcends its formal qualities. What is it about its place in Ukiyo-e tradition? Curator: As a print within the Ukiyo-e tradition, its primary concern lies in representing everyday life, offering a glimpse into the floating world. We can consider how the setting—likely a home or possibly a tea house—functions. Shuncho directs the gaze towards the woman with the tray, a literal offering. Notice how the compositional structure and color scheme amplify this reading. Editor: Absolutely. What is the relationship here between class and labor and visibility within this tradition? How is this female labour depicted in comparison with other prints that may fetishise geishas and other kinds of exploitative practices? And could you address the layering of pattern upon pattern, from the kimono to the screens, and even the faces themselves? Curator: The flatness inherent in the medium becomes a tool. See how the outlines, blocks of color, and careful registration serve not to mimic reality but to create a highly stylized reality. There's a sophisticated conversation between surface and depth in that flattening. Considering your prior points on labour and gendered norms, observe how pattern is deliberately implemented to construct societal expectation as both beautification and domesticity. The composition highlights, and possibly confines, this visual framework of expectation onto the women present. Editor: It's a vibrant portrayal, one that acknowledges the complexities of life through seemingly simple scenes. Thank you for elucidating those connections, providing critical context into this intimate moment within the grand scope of Ukiyo-e.