A courtesan holding a pipe
mid–1740s
Medium
Hand-colored woodblock print; hashira-e, beni-e
Dimensions
102.3 × 16.3 cm (40 1/4 × 6 3/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
26762
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of18th-century Edo Japanmodern-day Tokyo), Okura Masanobu'sA Courtesan Holding Pipe* captures the allure the "floating world"—the uki-e tradition celebrating fleeting pleasures theater, fashion, and romance. Created in the mid-1740s, this hand-colored woodblock print depicts a glamorous courtesan from the Yoshiwara pleasure district, pipe in hand, embodying poise and sensuality. Masanobu, a pioneering ukiyo artist active from the 1710s to 1760s, was for blending Western perspective techniques with Japanese aesthetics, elevating printmaking from utilitarian art to collectib...
About the Artist
Okumura Masanobu · 1686–1764
Japanese, 1686–1764