Woman and Attendant
Utagawa Toyokuni I Japanese
Calligrapher Shikitei Sanba Japanese
Not on view
Toyokuni was one of the most prolific artists of the late Edo period. During his early career, he portrayed women with particularly graceful necks, as exemplified by this image of a courtesan on her way to see her first customer of the evening by the light of a lantern held by an attendant. She is neatly dressed, with every hair in place. Red color applied here and there reveals her youth and vibrancy. On the upper section of the scroll, a poem by Shikiteri Sanba (1776–1822), a noted author of popular literature, is inscribed:
Chosen for the first time,
Before becoming accustomed,
It is difficult to make footsteps
in the snow.
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