The King of Hell with a Courtesan

Artist Toyohara Kunichika 豊原国周 (Japanese, 1835–1900)

Datelate 19th century

Mediumink and color on silk

Dimensions107.8 x 41.2 cm (image); 195.0 x 54.3 cm (scroll)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineAlexander H. Bullock Fund

Terms

Object number2000.24

Label TextThe King of Hell with a Courtesan Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) Japanese, ukiyo-e school, 1860s Hanging scroll, ink, color and gold on silk Signature: Toyohara Kunichika hitsu Seal: Toyohara Kunichika Alexander H. Bullock Fund, 2000.24 The reflection in a mirror of a courtesan writing a love letter captivates Emma Daio, the King of Hell and judge of the souls of the dead. This irreverent depiction of the King of Hell, identified by his three-part hat with the character for king on the central panel, as a deity who shares human passions and weaknesses, is typical of the playful humor of pictures of the floating world (ukiyo-e). The mirror is both a device for suggesting the strong voyeuristic element in this genre and a reference to the mirror in which each person sees the events of his or her life reflected when the soul appears before the King of Hell for judgement. The artist satirizes both Emma's and man's pleasures and their consequences. Kunichika was one of the most popular woodblock artists of the late nineteenth century. Known primarily for his actor prints, his earliest extant work was of beautiful women (bijin). This work demonstrates his skill as a painter with its witty treatment of the subject, its inventive composition, and technical virtuosity with the brush. He exhibited bijin paintings at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris in the first official display of Japanese art in a world exhibition. Although this painting is not dated, a comparison of its half-length courtesan with those in his multicolor woodblock prints of the 1860s suggests that it belongs to that period of the artist's work.ProvenanceIsrael Goldman

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