Messenger with a letter

Elegant five-needle woodblock print on pine wood by Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro, who lived from 1753 to 1806. He is one of the most respected designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, and especially known for these bijin ōkubi-e - large-headed images of beautiful women - from the 1790s. Digitally enhanced version of the original image from the Saint Louis Art Museum in the USA.