Courtesan with a Kitten
A seated courtesan is dressed in a gray-patterned over-robe (uchikake), a brilliant red kimono decorated with white dots arranged in a faux tie dyed pattern, and a white under-robe. Her two tiered chignon is fastened with a white cloth tie and a tortoiseshell comb. She leans against a kotatsu brazier covered by a low table and a cloth for warmth during the winter season. In one hand she holds a long stemmed tobacco pipe (kiseru), and with the other she caresses a kitten. In front of her is a lacquered tray containing a set of utensils used for smoking, along with the pipe of her unseen male client. A three-stringed shamisen lies beside her, its plectrum tucked beneath the strings.
Artwork Details
- Title: Courtesan with a Kitten
- Artist: Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信 (Japanese, 1671–1750)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868), probably Kyōhō era (1716–36)
- Date: early 18th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 13 1/8 × 20 3/4 in. (33.4 × 52.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 52 1/4 × 26 3/8 in. (132.7 × 67 cm)
Overall with knobs: 52 1/4 × 28 1/2 in. (132.7 × 72.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in honor of Barbara Brennan Ford, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.75.2
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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