Courtesan Plying Shojo with Sake, no. 4 from a series of 12 prints
c. 1708
Medium
Woodblock print; oban, sumizuri-e
Dimensions
26.6 × 36.9 cm (10 1/2 × 14 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
19518
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of early 18th-century Edo Japan (modern-day Tokyo), Okumuraanobu's *Courtesan Plying Sh with Sake*, no. 4 from a series of 12 prints (c. 1708), captures the playful spirit of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated fleeting pleasures like theater, fashion, and the Yoshiwara pleasure district. Masanobu, a pioneering printmaker active from around 1700 to 1750, depicts a glamorous courtesan enticing a mythical shojo—a mischievous, sake-loving spirit with flowing red hair and monkey-like features—from Japanese folklore. This whimsical scene blends everyda...
About the Artist
Okumura Masanobu · 1686–1764
Japanese, 1686–1764