ticketsMember | Make a donation

Standing Courtesan

early 18th century
Not on view
A courtesan, statuesque and regal in pose, has paused her procession to glance back, perhaps to acknowledge an admirer. Kaigetsudō Ando was the founder of a studio of artists that produced woodblock prints and paintings of the high-ranking women of the demimonde. Here a poem card (shikishi) is inscribed with a poem attributed to Sarumaru Dayu (active late 8th century) that was made famous through its inclusion in One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Hyakunin isshu):

Oku yama ni
momiji fumi-wake
naku shika no
koe kiku toki zo
aki wa kanashiki


Deep in the mountains,
traipsing through leaves,
a deer cries for its mate—
when I hear that sound,
it’s autumn at its saddest.
—Trans. John T. Carpenter

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 懐月堂安度筆　立姿遊女図
  • Title: Standing Courtesan
  • Artist: Kaigetsudō Ando (Japanese, ca. 1671–1743)
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: early 18th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll, mounted as panel; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 40 15/16 × 16 5/8 in. (104 × 42.2 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 44 7/8 × 20 1/2 in. (114 × 52 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.300.118
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Seated Courtesan with Her Attendant, Kaigetsudō Ando Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold-leaf on silk, Japan
Returned to lender
Seated Courtesan with Her Attendant
Kaigetsudō Ando
ca. 1704–11
Jizō Bosatsu Playing a Flute, Kano Tan'yū Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Jizō Bosatsu Playing a Flute
Kano Tan'yū
mid-17th century
Beauty of the Kanbun Era, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper, Japan
Beauty of the Kanbun Era
Japan
late 17th century
Zhou Maoshu Admiring Lotuses, Kaihō Yūsetsu Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink on silk, Japan
Zhou Maoshu Admiring Lotuses
Kaihō Yūsetsu
mid-17th century
White Plum Blossoms and Moon, Itō Jakuchū Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan
White Plum Blossoms and Moon
Itō Jakuchū
1755

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.