Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III). A Beauty in a Snowy Night / Vertical Ōban Diptyich, c. 1820.

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] (Japanese, 1786–1865), also known as Toyokuni III [三代豊国]
Signed: 香蝶楼国貞画 (Kōchōrō Kunisada ga)
Date: c. 1820s
Media: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper; Vertical ōban diptych (attached sheets) 71.7 × 23.7 cm (28.25 × 9.25 inches)

Title: A Beauty in a Snowy Night (Yuki no yoru no bijin, 雪の夜の美人)

Description:
A full-length portrait of a woman walking through falling snow is shown in three-quarter view, facing left.
She wears a voluminous winter kimono in deep blue-green tones, lined with patterned fabric reminiscent of sarasa (更紗), and fastened with a red and black kōshi (格子) checkered sash. A thick decorative cord (agemaki, 総角) hangs at the front.
Her head is wrapped in a dark hood (zukin, 頭巾), and a patterned scarf is drawn tightly around her neck for warmth.
She walks barefoot in traditional two-tooth wooden clogs (nimaiba geta, 二枚歯下駄), carefully stepping across the snowy ground.
A folded umbrella (wagasa, 和傘) is tucked behind her. Her facial features are delicately rendered, with the lower lip subtly colored green, a fashionable cosmetic accent in Edo-period beauty ideals.
Her compact posture and bundled garments convey the quiet resilience of winter travel.

This rare vertical diptych is an early example of Kunisada’s bijin-ga, notable for its subdued palette, elegant composition, and atmospheric restraint.