Seated Courtesan with Her Attendant
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.A courtesan leans against an armrest and engages her young attendant (kamuro) in conversation. Close inspection shows that the kamuro holds a small incense burner from which a thin line of smoke is rising, and the courtesan presents her right hand as though requesting the kamuro to hand it to her.
Kaigetsudō school artists specialized in ukiyo-e paintings of single-figure statuesque beauties. Their work is characterized by modulated brush lines, boldly patterned robes of clear coloration, and nearly rectangular faces with narrow, almond-shaped eyes. They used inexpensive pigments and painted on a paper ground. Their paintings were produced in large numbers, in some cases as souvenirs of a visit to the Yoshiwara. This work is remarkable for being painted on silk and for departing from the standing-figure format of the Kaigetsudō studio.
Kaigetsudō school artists specialized in ukiyo-e paintings of single-figure statuesque beauties. Their work is characterized by modulated brush lines, boldly patterned robes of clear coloration, and nearly rectangular faces with narrow, almond-shaped eyes. They used inexpensive pigments and painted on a paper ground. Their paintings were produced in large numbers, in some cases as souvenirs of a visit to the Yoshiwara. This work is remarkable for being painted on silk and for departing from the standing-figure format of the Kaigetsudō studio.
Artwork Details
- Title: Seated Courtesan with Her Attendant
- Artist: Kaigetsudō Ando (Japanese, ca. 1671–1743)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1704–11
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold-leaf on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 13 3/8 × 21 3/16 in. (34 × 53.8 cm)
Overall with mounting: 53 9/16 × 26 9/16 in. (136 × 67.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art