Courtesan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Description
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.
More Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Woman as the Hero Taisō in Palanquin Holding a Pipe
c. 1830
Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper
Yan Qing (Roshi Ensei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
Poem by Abe no Nakamaro, from an untitled series of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets
Hu Sanniang (Ko Sanjo Ichijosei), from the series "One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (Tsuzoku Suikoden goketsu hyakuhachinin no hitori)"
More Bijin-ga Prints
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Courtesan was created by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川国芳).
Courtesan depicts bijin-ga.