Prayers for Rain, from the series Seven Elegant Komachi

late 1790s

Prayers for Rain, from the series Seven Elegant Komachi, late 1790s. Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, c. 1754–1806). Woodblock print; ink and color on paper; sheet: 38.2 x 25.2 cm (15 1/16 x 9 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.1030 Seven plays based on legends from the life of 9th-century poet Ono no Komachi served as the source for this print series. In the play, Komachi shelters from the rain under an umbrella held by her servant. In this print, an elegantly coiffed mother and child replace the poet and her servant.