Courtesan and man attendant walking in the night, illustration from the book Narrow Alley (Roji no hosomichi)
- Date:
- March 1919
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
$1,000–$15,000. Beauty prints by this artist are particularly sought after. Original prints and illustrations: $4,000–$8,000. Key value factors: Yumeji's popular image means many reproductions exist. Original prints are scarcer and more valued.
A courtesan and her male attendant walk together through the night in this 1919 illustration from Yumeji's book "Roji no hosomichi" (Narrow Alley), the nocturnal setting and the pair's ambiguous relationship creating a scene of intimate complexity. The courtesan — a woman defined by the performance of romantic feeling — and her attendant move through the narrow lane with the purposeful intimacy of people inhabiting a world that operates by different rules than the daylit street. Yumeji's depiction draws on the long history of yoshiwara night scenes while updating it with Taisho-era psychological nuance.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Courtesan and man attendant walking in the night, illustration from the book Narrow Alley (Roji no hosomichi) was created by Takehisa Yumeji (竹久夢二) in March 1919.
Courtesan and man attendant walking in the night, illustration from the book Narrow Alley (Roji no hosomichi) depicts bijin-ga and night scenes.
Courtesan and man attendant walking in the night, illustration from the book Narrow Alley (Roji no hosomichi) measures 15.7 × 10.6 cm (Oban format).
