Standing Courtesan
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.While still in his twenties, before he began devoting his energies to the study and veneration of Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) and other Rinpa artists, Hōitsu painted beautiful women in the style of Utagawa Toyoharu (1735–1814). Hōitsu’s early interest in ukiyo-e painting may have been related to his own heavy involvement in the nightlife of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter, and he produced paintings of courtesans whom he had met. One of these women was Hanaōgi, the most famous and sought after courtesan of her day. Here Hōitsu has painted her standing in a classic ukiyo-e pose, her obi tied voluminously before her and her kimono billowing around her feet, its edge embroidered with her cherry blossom crest.
Artwork Details
- Title: Standing Courtesan
- Artist: Sakai Hōitsu (Japanese, 1761–1828)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1788
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 33 3/4 × 13 1/8 in. (85.7 × 33.4 cm)
Overall with mounting: 69 5/16 × 18 11/16 in. (176 × 47.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by Feinberg Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art