Female Entertainer with a Koto
A high ranking courtesan in a striking black outer robe with a peacock motif over a multicolored undergarment stands before a koto (thirteen stringed zither). Her obi sash is tied in front of her robes rather than behind, the usual practice for courtesans.
Utagawa Toyoharu, founder of the Utagawa school of Ukiyo e, produced both finely executed paintings—as seen here—and designs for prints. Shokusanjin, one of the foremost literary arbiters of his era, inscribed the poem to the left of the figure some years after the painting was made. The witty verse is full of clever wordplay and references to centuries old classical literature and the Shinto “patron deity” of the pleasure quarters.
Utagawa Toyoharu, founder of the Utagawa school of Ukiyo e, produced both finely executed paintings—as seen here—and designs for prints. Shokusanjin, one of the foremost literary arbiters of his era, inscribed the poem to the left of the figure some years after the painting was made. The witty verse is full of clever wordplay and references to centuries old classical literature and the Shinto “patron deity” of the pleasure quarters.
Artwork Details
- 歌川豊春筆 蜀山人（大田 南畝）賛 琴に立美人図
- Title: Female Entertainer with a Koto
- Artist: Painting by Utagawa Toyoharu (Japanese, 1735–1814)
- Artist: Inscription by Shokusanjin (Ōta Nanpo) (Japanese, 1749–1823)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1785; inscription early 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 25 11/16 × 13 3/8 in. (65.2 × 34 cm)
Overall with knobs: 60 1/2 × 20 7/16 in. (153.6 × 51.9 cm)
Overall with mounting: 60 1/2 × 18 1/2 in. (153.6 × 47 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Fishbein-Bender Collection, Gift of T. Richard Fishbein and Estelle P. Bender, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.393.3
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Utagawa Toyoharu
Utagawa Toyoharu
Utagawa Toyoharu
Utagawa Toyoharu
ca. 1780
Utagawa Toyoharu
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