Tsukioka Settei 月岡雪堤Japanese, 1726–1786Wisteria Maiden
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Wisteria Maiden” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
The Wisteria Maiden was a favorite subject of Ōtsue, folk paintings made in the town of Ōtsu. The paintings were believed to have auspicious properties; those hoping for a good match in marriage might buy a picture of the Maiden. The character later appeared in kabuki theater and was so popular that an entire play was eventually written around her. This classical depiction shows the Maiden as a beautiful young woman, or bijin, dancing with a wisteria branch over her shoulder. Settei, an Osaka artist, was famous for his delicately painted bijin and erotic imagery. The calligraphic inscription, by the Osaka kyōka poet Senkatei Karitsu (1748–1789), indicates that Settei painted the beauty in the spirit of Matabei’s brush, a reference to the legendary founder of Ōtsue and ukiyo-e.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 2013.29.154
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
![Swimming Carp [left of a pair of Carps], Tsukioka Settei, 1777](https://img.artsmia.org/web_objects_cache/118000/400/20/118423/clark_20151023008021_800.jpg)
![Carp Leaping Out of Water [right of a pair of Carps], Tsukioka Settei, 1777](https://img.artsmia.org/web_objects_cache/118000/400/20/118422/clark_20151023008019_800.jpg)
