Courtesan Descending Stairs
c. 1783
Medium
Color woodblock print; hashira-e
Dimensions
70 × 12.3 cm (27 9/16 × 4 7/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
44372
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of Edo-period Japan with *Courtesan Descending St*, a captivating color woodblock print by Torii Kiyonaga, created around 1783. This hashira-e, or pillar print—measuring a tall, slender 70 × 12.3 cm— was designed to adorn narrow architectural pillars in homes or teahouses. Kiyonaga, a master the ukiyo-e tradition from the renowned Torii school, specialized in bijin-ga, or "pictures of beautiful women," capturing the grace and allure of courtesans from the Yoshiwara pleasure district. The artwork depicts a poised courtesan gliding down stairs, her kimono flowing in ...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...