Courtesan with a Kitten

early 18th century

Not on view

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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By Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信

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Illustrated Poems (Ehon Kaikasen) 絵本貝歌仙, Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信 Japanese, Nineteen pages of illustrations and poems; ink on paper, Japan — Illustrated Poems (Ehon Kaikasen) 絵本貝歌仙
Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信
1747

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Portrait of Shun'oku Myōha, Unidentified artist Japanese, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk, Japan — Portrait of Shun'oku Myōha
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Picture Book: Ogura Hill (Ehon Ogurayama) 絵本小倉山, Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信 Japanese, Thirteen double-page monochrome illustrations; ink on paper, Japan — Picture Book: Ogura Hill (Ehon Ogurayama) 絵本小倉山
Nishikawa Sukenobu 西川祐信
1749

Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese — Helmet (*Zukinnari Kabuto*)
Japanese
16th century

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