Glimpse into the Room of a Courtesan
Artist/Culture
Kiyonaga, Torii
(Japanese, 1752–1815)
Date1781
Mediumwoodblock print, ink and color on paper; nishiki-e; hashira-e
Dimensions67.6 x 13.4 cm (26 5/8 x 5 1/4 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.161
DescriptionA young man is asleep upon a bed, and a woman is seated by his side. In the foreground a tall woman comes into the room around a tall folding screen which she had moved aside.Label TextA young attendant, dressed in a long-sleeved kimono with a peacock feather and cherry blossom design, shyly looks at her courtesan-mistress' client-a sleeping young man. The courtesan, wearing an elegant over-garment (uchikake) with a chrysanthemum design, glances at her piled, thick mattresses in the foreground (reserved for wealthy patron-clients) before entering to meet her young client. The room is divided into two spaces, with different atmospheres, by means of two screens. The screen in the background depicts a lively stream and evergreen pine while the one in the foreground is embellished with the classical stylized clouds and chrysanthemum-and-brush fence motifs.ProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection, -1901
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