The Courtesan Somenosuke of the Matsubaya

This oban color woodblock print of the courtesan Somenosuke of the Matsubaya is held by the Art Institute of Chicago and dates to about 1797, the heart of Ichirakutei Eisui's most productive period as a designer of Yoshiwara portraits. The Matsubaya was, with the Chojiya and the Ogiya, one of the three great houses of the licensed quarter, and the names of its oiran are among the most frequently recurring in late-Kansei bijin-ga. Eisui places Somenosuke against a clean ground, allowing the surface of the kimono and the careful inflections of the contour to carry the design. The figure is rendered in the elongated proportions and quiet expression characteristic of the Chobunsai Eishi school, with patterning that combines small repeating motifs and larger decorative bands across the obi. The cartouche names the sitter and her house, identifying her to a contemporary buyer who would have known her by reputation. The Art Institute's impression preserves the subtle color registration and crisp keyblock that distinguish the best of Eisui's portraiture, and it provides important comparative material for understanding his contribution to late-eighteenth-century courtesan prints.