A Couple

An early nineteenth-century surimono titled simply A Couple, this print arranges two figures in a tightly framed composition characteristic of the shikishiban format. Shinsai's interest in figural pairing is evident throughout his output—courtesan and client, woman and child, dancer and musician—and the format suited surimono's role as a vehicle for poems that often hinged on the dialogue or relationship between two parties. The print is held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Its restrained palette and careful textile detail demonstrate the deluxe production values that distinguished kyoka surimono from the commercial figural prints of the same period.