Daughter Miyuki (Elegant Japanese Lady, Asian Art) Cushion

This design features an image of a silk painting by female Japanese artist Uemura Shoen (上村 松園, 1875–1949). The artist is particularly famous for her depictions of beautiful women in the nihonga (日本画) style, although she also produced many works on historical themes and traditional subjects. She received many awards and other forms of recognition during her lifetime, being the first female recipient of the Japanese Order of Culture (文化勲章); she was also hired as the Imperial Household's official artist, which had previously only employed one other official woman in the position. The painting shown here is in the bijinga (美人画) style, which is a general term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre. It shows Akizuki Miyuki, a character from a classical joruri (浄瑠璃) drama, which is a traditional form of storytelling accompanied by music. The original artwork (娘深雪) was completed in 1914.