33 - Tsukioka SESSAI. A female puppeteer carrying a child, dressed in a richly decorated kimono. This artwork is a traditional Japanese painting in the Ukiyo-e style, titled “Painting of a Puppeteer ” (Kugutsu Bijin Zu / 人形遣い図). It is attributed to the artist Tsukioka Sessai (月岡雪斎), a leading painter of the mid-Edo period. The scene depicts an elegant woman (bijin) beautifully dressed in a flowing kimono with elaborate patterns, manipulating a traditional puppet representing a male figure with thick eyebrows. The upper portion features a long poetic and descriptive inscription characteristic of Japanese hanging scrolls (kakemono). The artist’s signature and red seals are visible to the left of the calligraphy and next to the female figure. This work attests to the importance of popular entertainment during the Edo period, linking the refined aesthetics of portraits of female beauties to the theatrical art of puppetry (Bunraku).