Skip to main content
Advanced Search
The Courtesan Yoyoyama of the Matsubaya (Matsubaya uchi Yoyoyama)
The Courtesan Yoyoyama of the Matsubaya (Matsubaya uchi Yoyoyama)
Public domain: Image courtesy of the Worcester Art Museum.

The Courtesan Yoyoyama of the Matsubaya (Matsubaya uchi Yoyoyama)

Artist (Japanese, 1787–1867)
Publisher (Japanese)
Dateabout 1830
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper
DimensionsVertical ōban: 38.4 x 25.9 cm (15 1/8 x 10 3/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.59.2650
DescriptionFirst sheet of pentaptych
Label TextCourtesans on parade were a popular ukiyo-e subject. They show women in their most resplendent finery, often accompanied by their young female attendants (kamuro) in matching kimono, either en route to meet a client or for special occasions like the cherry-blossom festival depicted here. A phoenix pattern decorates this courtesan’s obi sash, and her kimono prominently features a brush painting of bamboo complete with the seals of the painting’s artist. Famed artists were frequently commissioned to paint directly onto such lavish kimono.ProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection, -1901
On View
Not on view