Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865).

Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga [香朝楼國貞画] in a yellow cartouche

Date and Censor Seals: 1832 — Tenpō 3 (辰, Year of the Dragon), plus Approved (kiwame, 極)

Publisher: Enshūya Matabei [遠州屋又兵衛] (Japanese, fl. c. 1768 – 1881); seal (ト) under the roof

Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 225 x 285 mm.

The print depicts a bijin (beautiful woman) holding a paper lantern (chōchin, 提灯) with the kanji 獅子 (“Lion,” shishi/jishi) written in bold black strokes. She is shown in a three-quarter view, turning her head to the left, her gaze directed towards the lantern. Her red and blue checkered over-garment adorned with sickle-shaped (鎌, kama) kamon and other ideograms. A red under-kimono is decorated with peonies (botan, 牡丹) and bats (kōmori, 蝙蝠)—symbols of prosperity and good fortune. A black collar with a red accent adds contrast to her attire. Her hair is styled with only a headband, and her teeth are not blackened.

The background features a gradient transitioning from green to orange, then to teal, from bottom to top. On the left, swallows (tsubame, 燕) fly upwards, while on the right, blue geese (gan, 雁) descend, creating a balanced movement across the composition.

Provenance: René Scholten (Dutch, 1943 – 2001)