Courtesan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Typical Price
- Uncommon subject or exceptional impression: $2,000–$8,000
A courtesan — a high-ranking beauty of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter — is depicted in this bijin-ga print with the studied elegance that characterized representations of the quarter's most celebrated women. Kuniyoshi's courtesan imagery typically emphasizes the visual spectacle of layered kimono in complex textile patterns, elaborate hairstyles, and the pose of studied indifference cultivated by the tayuu and oiran. The subject belongs to a long ukiyo-e tradition but receives Kuniyoshi's distinctive treatment of figure and garment.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Courtesan was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Courtesan depicts bijin-ga.
