Standing Courtesan
Artist/Culture
Kaigetsudo Doshin
Dateabout 1704–1716
MediumHanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions111.3 x 49.2 cm (43 13/16 x 19 3/8 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.1345
DescriptionBancroft # 19Label TextThe gorgeously attired and worldly woman of the licensed pleasure quarter is the basic motif of ukiyo-e, a distinct genre of painting, book illustration, and prints that arose from and gave visual identity to the new urban culture of the Edo period (1600-1868). Identified by neither name nor house, this standing figure of a high-class courtesan represents an ideal of feminine beauty devoid of dramatic or narrative interest. The painter's signature and seal declare his adherence to the style of his contemporary Kaigetsudo Ando, who lived in the Asakusa district of Edo and specialized in paintings with rich color and powerful contour lines. Decorative designs on the outer and under kimono reveal an interest in fashion shared by both the painter and his public. The evening-glory (yugao) pattern shown against a woven fence recalls for readers of Japanese literature the poignant romantic emotions associated with the fourth chapter of the classic novel The Tale of Genji.ProvenanceEstate of John Chandler Bancroft, Boston MA
On View
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